The Foreign Policy of Global Cities
Our panel analyse the arguments for and against major cities explicitly engaging in foreign policy and discuss what any such foreign policy would look like.
Speakers
Michele Acuto, Professor of Global Urban Politics, Melbourne School of Design, University of Melbourne
Dr Beyza Unal, Research Fellow, International Security, Chatham House
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The world’s major cities are becoming increasingly influential players on the world stage. Yet despite their growing global influence, most municipal governments do not have a foreign policy to engage the world and unify leadership around common goals. Our panel analyse the arguments for and against major cities explicitly engaging in foreign policy and discuss what any such foreign policy would look like. Are cities capable of exerting the political weight necessary on the international stage, independent of their own national government? Are current international institutions capable of accommodating non-nation state actors? What might a major city foreign policy include and how best would such policy aims be advanced?
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