ABSTRACT
This chapter attempts a preliminary examination of the policy of the Greek state after the restoration of democracy in 1974 towards the omogenia'/diaspora, that is the Orthodox Christians living abroad who are considered as of Greek descent'. Up until 1922 the Greek state addressed itself to the communities of the merchant diaspora, mainly seeking support for its irredentist policy. However, the strong anti-American sentiment prevailing in Greece after the restoration of democracy made it difficult for politicians to play up the role of the Greek-American community in promoting Greece's national issues'. In adopting the jus sanguinis, a distinction was soon established between omogeneis', and allogeneis' and preferential treatment was reserved for the former under Greek citizenship law. The defeat in the Asia Minor war and the mass influx of refugees into Greece, combined with the drastic restrictions imposed by the US government in the 1920s on immigration from South-Eastern Europe soon imposed other priorities on Greek governments.
