City Diplomacy in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: A comparative Analysis
Institutional Affiliation
University of Crete
Start Date
3-11-2023 9:30 AM
End Date
3-11-2023 11:00 AM
Proposal Type
Presentation
Proposal Format
Virtual
Proposal Description
This article studies city diplomacy in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), looking at the cases of Greece-Turkey, Israel-Palestine and Divided Libya. Using a qualitative comparative case study approach, it examines the reasons for engaging in city diplomacy. The evidence shows that city diplomacy in the EMR is distinct in many ways. Firstly, city diplomacy in the EMR is led either domestically or from abroad. The article supports such claims by the literature as cultural and economic reasons being behind city diplomacy or for the need to substitute the state because of its inability or inefficiency in serving the citizens’ interests. However, it challenges the view that personal contacts between influential figures in city governments, between such people and specific countries and between influential figures and specific policy issues, have driven cities to international politics, especially the smaller cities that often lack a professional apparatus for city diplomacy.
City Diplomacy in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: A comparative Analysis
This article studies city diplomacy in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), looking at the cases of Greece-Turkey, Israel-Palestine and Divided Libya. Using a qualitative comparative case study approach, it examines the reasons for engaging in city diplomacy. The evidence shows that city diplomacy in the EMR is distinct in many ways. Firstly, city diplomacy in the EMR is led either domestically or from abroad. The article supports such claims by the literature as cultural and economic reasons being behind city diplomacy or for the need to substitute the state because of its inability or inefficiency in serving the citizens’ interests. However, it challenges the view that personal contacts between influential figures in city governments, between such people and specific countries and between influential figures and specific policy issues, have driven cities to international politics, especially the smaller cities that often lack a professional apparatus for city diplomacy.