Irish Soft Power in United States Politics: Mechanisms, Evolution, and Impact, (2005–2025) --- A Qualitative Analysis

This qualitative study investigates Ireland's deployment of soft power in U.S. politics from 2005 to 2025, interrogating how a small, neutral state leverages economic interdependence, institutionalized cultural diplomacy, and diaspora mobilization to advance national interests amid geopolitical flux. Grounded in Nye's soft power framework and theories of asymmetrical interdependence (Keohane & Nye, 2011), the research posits that these pillars—manifest in robust U.S. foreign direct investment, ceremonial engagements like St. Patrick's Day summits, and Irish-American advocacy—enable disproportionate influence, exemplified by safeguarding the Good Friday Agreement during Brexit.Employing Krippendorff's content analysis and Yin's case study triangulation, the analysis synthesizes governmental reports, economic datasets, and scholarly literature, revealing adaptive strategies that mitigated Brexit's threats through transatlantic lobbying and bipartisan congressional support. Key findings underscore Ireland's efficacy in shaping U.S. policy discourse, yet expose vulnerabilities, including fiscal overreliance on American multinationals and generational diaspora dilution.Critically, the paper advances small-state diplomacy scholarship by illuminating soft power's resilience in interdependent systems, though its qualitative emphasis could benefit from quantitative metrics for influence measurement. Implications include policy prescriptions for diversification and digital enhancement, offering a model for peripheral actors in global affairs, with avenues for comparative research on evolving diasporic dynamics.