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City Diplomacy: The Expanding Role of Cities in International Politics
April 23, 2007. In a new Clingendael Diplomacy Paper, Rogier van der Pluijm introduces the concept of city diplomacy. Although it could be argued that foreign affairs is still primarily a task of national governments and their ministries of foreign affairs (MFAs), the state is no longer the only actor on the diplomatic stage. Associations of states, NGOs and multinational corporations, for example, increasingly play a role in diplomacy. Despite substantial attention for these three groups of new actors, academic discussion has focused less on the increasing role of another actor in diplomacy, namely the city. Read more »