By Roy Lie A Tjam.
Cities are making the difference in our rapidly changing world. Diplomacy is no longer the preserve of national governments alone; cities are acting independently on the international scene.
Cities as diverse as Chicago, Mombassa, Bangalore, Songdu and The Hague are examples of the city diplomacy phenomenon. In an address to university students in The Hague, City Diplomacy:noted that the city is the layer of government closest to the citizen, and is that to which he goes first when he would like to get something done.
What really is City Diplomacy? Drs Willem Post, senior fellow at the Clingendael Institute in The Hague, media commentator and writer specialized in US politics and diplomacy, provides the answer in his fabulous new book, Cities go Global.
In part, City Diplomacy incorporates non-state and sub-state actors. Key players include knowledge institutions, multinationals, NGOs, metropolitan regions and of course the cities themselves. Drs Willem Post is an advisor to the city of The Hague on International Affairs. In 2010, he published Attached to the World, a book on diplomacy and international relations.
2010 was the year the national governments of the United States and the Netherlands formally recognized cities as influential actors in international relations.
According to President Barack Obama, strong cities are the building blocks of strong regions. Strong regions are essential for a strong America. Obama’s urban policy advisor Valerie Jarett, called cities the economic engines of the country.
The Hague will be hosting the first-ever Global Parliament of Mayors from 10 to 12 September 2016. The Global Parliament of Mayors (GPM) is a new experiment in democratic global governance for cities.
City diplomacy, smart cities, sister city partnership and more are all treated in Willem Post’s book, Cities go Global. The fascinating book is an eye-opener for city actors all over the world.
ISBN: 978-90-821567-7-5
EAN: 9789082156775
Medium: Book
1 February 2016
Publishing house: Studio 92a
