American Hellenic Institute Public Affairs Committee
Encyclopedia
The American Hellenic Institute Public Affairs Committee, or AHIPAC is an organization created by the American Hellenic Institute (AHI) in 1975 to strengthen US-Greece and US-Cyprus relations, as well as relations within Hellenic-American
community. The group has a lobbying
focus, which distinguishes it from the other organizations associated with AHI.
. The Institute argued that Turkey had violated the US Foreign Assistance Act of 1961
and Foreign Military Sales Act, in that Turkish forces were purportedly using American weapons. They called upon Henry Kissinger
, who would be a perennial obstacle to the AHI and AHIPAC's goals, to condemn Turkey and to deny it further sales and aid until all Turkish troops were withdrawn from the soil of Cyprus. This petition was denied, but under continued pressure from AHI, Congress decided on an arms embargo toward Turkey. In December 1974, an AHI-sponsored $25 million Congressional aid package to Cyprus was approved.
proposals for Cyprus
, Greece
, Albania
, Turkey
, or the Republic of Macedonia
.
AHIPAC was integral in the movement to change the 7:10 power-sharing ratio on Cyprus to 1:1, which they perceived as more equitable. AHI and AHIPAC both opposed American support of the 2004 Annan Plan for unification of Cyprus
, calling the plan "undemocratic" and "unworkable." Each presidential election year, a policy statement is sent to the candidates by AHI and its affiliates informing them of issues of interest to the Greek-American community. In September 2008, the American Hellenic Institute contacted all members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
, asking them to submit questions about American policy toward Cyprus to the new US Ambassador to Turkey, James F. Jeffrey
. AHIPAC has sponsored legislative conferences, notably in 1997, when three one-day Legislative Policy Conferences were held in New York City
, Los Angeles
, and Chicago
to highlight contributions by grassroots activists in the Greek-American community and to coordinate stances among Greek-American groups.
and McCain
were typical of those that concern AHI and AHIPAC. First and foremost was the question of American policy on Cyprus. The removal of all Turkish troops and the peaceful unification of the island feature prominently as goals in most Greek-American lobbying. In the event of continued Turkish military presence on Cyprus, AHI advised the application of economic sanctions
and an arms embargo
against Turkey because of restriction of human rights and lack of cooperation with American aims. The letter also called for reinforcement of maritime borders and airspace in the Aegean
, which Turkey has purportedly repeatedly violated. AHI made clear the fact that they oppose the legitimization of the name "Macedonia"
for the country recognised internationally under the provisional reference of "the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia." Finally, the policy letters strongly suggested the inclusion of Greece in the American visa waiver program
and the application of American pressure to ensure protection of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and Greek Orthodox theological centers in Turkey.
. Additional factors in AHIPAC's high levels of influence at the time include the demise of the divisive Greek junta
, a "new wave" of Greek immigration to the US, and the placement of many Greek-Americans in high levels in American politics and business. The organization did, however, face considerable opposition from the executive branch of government, notably as represented in the person of Henry Kissinger
. By the 1980s and after, AHIPAC had declined somewhat in influence, although, as mentioned earlier, they continued to be active in the political arena. Their relative decline can be attributed to a variety of factors, among them the fact that the Greek-American community had more issues by then to collectively tackle than that of the Cyprus conflict (this led to increased division within the organization) and an increasing feeling among young Greek-Americans that AHIPAC and other groups formed in the 1970s and before were out-of-date.
Greek American
Greek Americans are Americans of Greek descent also described as Hellenic descent. According to the 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimation, there were 1,380,088 people of Greek ancestry in the United States, while the State Department mentions that around 3,000,000 Americans claim to be of Greek descent...
community. The group has a lobbying
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
focus, which distinguishes it from the other organizations associated with AHI.
History
The American Hellenic Institute was created on August 1, 1974, by Eugene Rossides in response to the Turkish occupation of CyprusTurkish invasion of Cyprus
The Turkish invasion of Cyprus, launched on 20 July 1974, was a Turkish military invasion in response to a Greek military junta backed coup in Cyprus...
. The Institute argued that Turkey had violated the US Foreign Assistance Act of 1961
Foreign Assistance Act
The Foreign Assistance Act is a United States Act of Congress. The Act reorganized the structure of existing U.S. foreign assistance programs, separated military from non-military aid, and created a new agency, the United States Agency for International Development to administer those...
and Foreign Military Sales Act, in that Turkish forces were purportedly using American weapons. They called upon Henry Kissinger
Henry Kissinger
Heinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American academic, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. He is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and...
, who would be a perennial obstacle to the AHI and AHIPAC's goals, to condemn Turkey and to deny it further sales and aid until all Turkish troops were withdrawn from the soil of Cyprus. This petition was denied, but under continued pressure from AHI, Congress decided on an arms embargo toward Turkey. In December 1974, an AHI-sponsored $25 million Congressional aid package to Cyprus was approved.
Other groups under the American Hellenic Institute
Other groups include:- AHI Business Network (created 1989)
- American Hellenic Institute Foundation, Inc. (AHIF- think tank created 1975)
- Foundation for Hellenic Studies (created 1995)
Major activities (including those taken as part of AHI)
AHIPAC has been a part of many political activities and lobbying actions, often as part of the parent organization, AHI. Representatives of AHIPAC have testified before Congress with great frequency on topics related to their interests, usually foreign aidAid
In international relations, aid is a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another, given at least partly with the objective of benefiting the recipient country....
proposals for Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, or the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
.
Annan Plan for Cyprus
The Annan Plan was a United Nations proposal to resolve the Cyprus dispute, reuniting the breakaway Northern Cyprus with the Republic of Cyprus. The proposal was to restructure Cyprus as the "United Cyprus Republic", which would be a federation of two states. It was revised a number of times before...
, calling the plan "undemocratic" and "unworkable." Each presidential election year, a policy statement is sent to the candidates by AHI and its affiliates informing them of issues of interest to the Greek-American community. In September 2008, the American Hellenic Institute contacted all members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a standing committee of the United States Senate. It is charged with leading foreign-policy legislation and debate in the Senate. The Foreign Relations Committee is generally responsible for overseeing and funding foreign aid programs as...
, asking them to submit questions about American policy toward Cyprus to the new US Ambassador to Turkey, James F. Jeffrey
James Franklin Jeffrey
James Franklin Jeffrey is an American diplomat and the current United States Ambassador to Iraq.He was serving as the Deputy National Security Advisor in the administration of George W. Bush before being appointed to Turkey.-Biography:...
. AHIPAC has sponsored legislative conferences, notably in 1997, when three one-day Legislative Policy Conferences were held in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to highlight contributions by grassroots activists in the Greek-American community and to coordinate stances among Greek-American groups.
Notable members
- Nick Larigakis, Executive Head of AHIPAC, is also the founder and president of NL Group, LLC, a business and government consulting group for Greek-American issues.
- Nick Karembelas, AHIPAC legal counsel as of 2000, is a partner at Sfikas & Karambelas law office and was highly active in representing Greek CypriotGreek CypriotsGreek Cypriots are the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus, forming the island's largest ethnolinguistic community at 77% of the population. Greek Cypriots are mostly members of the Church of Cyprus, an autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church within the wider communion of Orthodox Christianity...
families who wished to sue Turkey for loss of property and Greek AssyriansAssyrian peopleThe Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
looking to claim compensation for lost property in northern IraqIraqi KurdistanIraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...
. - Nick Chimicles, AHIPAC Chairman as of 2000, is a senior partner in Chimicles & Tikellis LLP, a law firm that operates in Pennsylvania and Maryland.
- Savas Tsivicos, a former AHIPAC chairman, is the National Chairman and President of the Cyprus Children's Fund, a New York based non-profit established in 1975 to support Cypriot children in need.
- Eugene Rossides, founder of the American Hellenic Institute, received the Homeric Award in January 2008 from the Chian Federation, an organization of Greek-Americans from the island of ChiosChiosChios is the fifth largest of the Greek islands, situated in the Aegean Sea, seven kilometres off the Asia Minor coast. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. The island is noted for its strong merchant shipping community, its unique mastic gum and its medieval villages...
, in honor of his achievements in strengthening United States-Greece relations and supporting human rights. Rossides was the first Greek-American to be appointed and confirmed to the United States SenateUnited States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
and served as Assistant Secretary of the US TreasuryUnited States Department of the TreasuryThe Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue...
during the NixonRichard NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
Administration. In addition to these honors, he is also something of a sports legend, due to his past on Columbia University's football teamColumbia LionsThe Columbia University Lions are the collective athletic teams and their members from Columbia University, an Ivy League institution in New York City, United States. The current director of athletics is M...
, and had a successful career at the prestigious law firm of Rogers & WellsRogers & WellsRogers & Wells was a New-York based international law firm founded in 1873. After several name changes, it was renamed for William P. Rogers and John A. Wells. The firm was well known for its litigation arm...
.
Major Issues of Concern
The issues outlined in the AHI policy letters sent to presidential candidates ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
and McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
were typical of those that concern AHI and AHIPAC. First and foremost was the question of American policy on Cyprus. The removal of all Turkish troops and the peaceful unification of the island feature prominently as goals in most Greek-American lobbying. In the event of continued Turkish military presence on Cyprus, AHI advised the application of economic sanctions
Economic sanctions
Economic sanctions are domestic penalties applied by one country on another for a variety of reasons. Economic sanctions include, but are not limited to, tariffs, trade barriers, import duties, and import or export quotas...
and an arms embargo
Arms embargo
An arms embargo is an embargo that applies to weaponry. It may also include "dual use" items. An arms embargo may serve one or more purposes:# to signal disapproval of behavior by a certain actor,# to maintain neutral standing in an ongoing conflict, or...
against Turkey because of restriction of human rights and lack of cooperation with American aims. The letter also called for reinforcement of maritime borders and airspace in the Aegean
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
, which Turkey has purportedly repeatedly violated. AHI made clear the fact that they oppose the legitimization of the name "Macedonia"
Macedonia naming dispute
A diplomatic dispute over the use of the name Macedonia has been an ongoing issue in the bilateral relations between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia since the latter became independent from former Yugoslavia in 1991...
for the country recognised internationally under the provisional reference of "the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia." Finally, the policy letters strongly suggested the inclusion of Greece in the American visa waiver program
Visa Waiver Program
The Visa Waiver Program is a program of the United States Government which allows citizens of specific countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa. The program applies to the 50 U.S. states as well as the U.S...
and the application of American pressure to ensure protection of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and Greek Orthodox theological centers in Turkey.
Changes in Level of Influence
AHIPAC reached its peak of power in the late 1970s, due to the urgency of the situation on Cyprus at the time, in accordance with the theory of functionalismFunctionalism in international relations
Functionalism is a theory of international relations that arose during the inter-War period principally from the strong concern about the obsolescence of the State as a form of social organization...
. Additional factors in AHIPAC's high levels of influence at the time include the demise of the divisive Greek junta
Greek military junta of 1967-1974
The Greek military junta of 1967–1974, alternatively "The Regime of the Colonels" , or in Greece "The Junta", and "The Seven Years" are terms used to refer to a series of right-wing military governments that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974...
, a "new wave" of Greek immigration to the US, and the placement of many Greek-Americans in high levels in American politics and business. The organization did, however, face considerable opposition from the executive branch of government, notably as represented in the person of Henry Kissinger
Henry Kissinger
Heinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American academic, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. He is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and...
. By the 1980s and after, AHIPAC had declined somewhat in influence, although, as mentioned earlier, they continued to be active in the political arena. Their relative decline can be attributed to a variety of factors, among them the fact that the Greek-American community had more issues by then to collectively tackle than that of the Cyprus conflict (this led to increased division within the organization) and an increasing feeling among young Greek-Americans that AHIPAC and other groups formed in the 1970s and before were out-of-date.
See also
- American Hellenic Educational Progressive AssociationAmerican Hellenic Educational Progressive AssociationThe American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association ' is a service organization founded on July 26, 1922 in Atlanta, Georgia. Its mission is to support Greek-American charities, causes, and communities. It works closely with the Greek Orthodox Church. Its ladies' auxiliary, the Daughters of...
- Cyprus disputeCyprus disputeThe Cyprus dispute is the result of the ongoing conflict between the Republic of Cyprus and Turkey, over the Turkish occupied northern part of Cyprus....
- Lobbying in the United StatesLobbying in the United StatesLobbying in the United States targets the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, and state legislatures. Lobbyists may also represent their clients' or organizations' interests in dealings with federal, state, or local executive branch agencies or the courts. Lobby...
- Greek AmericanGreek AmericanGreek Americans are Americans of Greek descent also described as Hellenic descent. According to the 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimation, there were 1,380,088 people of Greek ancestry in the United States, while the State Department mentions that around 3,000,000 Americans claim to be of Greek descent...
- Diaspora politics in the United StatesDiaspora politics in the United StatesDiaspora politics in the United States is the study of the political behavior of transnational ethnic diasporas, their relationship with their ethnic homelands and their host states, as well as their prominent role in ethnic conflicts. This article describes case studies and theories of political...
- Macedonia naming disputeMacedonia naming disputeA diplomatic dispute over the use of the name Macedonia has been an ongoing issue in the bilateral relations between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia since the latter became independent from former Yugoslavia in 1991...