Emigration and the goals of Lithuania's foreign policy

The purpose of this article is to convey a couple of messages. First of all, it aims to present a short overview of the historical role of Lithuanian emigrants in the period of the re-establishment of Lithuania as an independent state in the international arena. The principal issue which so far has been insufficiently addressed by both historians and political scientists, and which should be the constant focus of Lithuanian foreign policy-makers, is the current situation of the Lithuanian diaspora in Western countries, the emigrants' position in respect to their homeland, and their eventual behaviour in the performance of the diplomacy mission at the community level. Taking into account the traditional examples identified by historians of the political behaviour of Lithuanians world-wide, and by analysing political trends in the USA, Great Britain, and other countries that had accepted immigrants from Lithuania, it is possible to paint a clearer picture of the expectations resulting from the relationship between the diaspora and the interests of Lithuania's foreign policyVytauto Didžiojo universiteta