I’ve always had a special connection to the topic of diasporas. Because I am a kid of diaspora.
I grew up with this feeling of being "in" but never fully of. Part of the group, but with one foot somewhere else.
My loyalty? Always tested.
My identity? Always negotiated.
From a young age, I started asking serious questions about who belongs where and why.
That’s how my fascination with diasporas began.
Later, I explored it further during my Master’s at Sciences Po, diving into international relations, security, and power dynamics.
And somehow… this topic keeps coming back into my life, again and again.
Today, I’m still in diaspora. In Hebrew, we say galout, it means "exile"... (how fascinating is language in this context right?)
In this article, we’ll talk about what diasporas really are and why they play such an important role in the Grey Zone.
Table of contents
- 1- What is a diaspora, really?
- 2- Diasporas = sovereignty without territory
- 3- When power has no center
- 4- Intelligence agencies LOVE diasporas.
- 5- The Grey Zone is their natural home...
1- What is a diaspora, really?
Diasporas are strategic assets.
Living, breathing power structures.
A population? A memory? A political force?
Diasporas are hybrid entities. They don’t live inside traditional borders.
In international relations, a diaspora is commonly defined as a population that resides outside its country of origin, yet maintains strong emotional, cultural, political, and often strategic ties to that homeland. But this definition doesn’t go far enough.
What about the people that were BORN in diaspora?
What about the daughters and sons of emigrants?
They are transnational political actors.
They operate across borders while claiming legitimacy within multiple political spaces.
Yossi Shain and Aharon Barth describe diasporas as "outside the state, but inside the people." I like this expression.
Conceptually, diasporas are rhizomatic networks: decentralized, fluid, ever-expanding. Unlike the state, which is territorial and hierarchical, diasporas are dispersed. Their power doesn’t depend on monopoly of force (like westphalian states), but on their ability to circulate:
- Narratives (memory, trauma, identity)
- Resources (funding, lobbying, knowledge)
- Influence (access to elites, soft power)
They operate simultaneously on symbolic, economic, emotional, and geopolitical levels. They shape foreign policy. They influence international recognition. They form informal alliances. And yes—they sometimes act as strategic proxies.
In short, a diaspora is a non-state sovereign actor, capable of projecting influence faaaaar beyond its demographic size!
2- Diasporas = sovereignty without territory
Diasporas often hold influence over homeland policies despite having no formal role in governance.