Paradiplomacy in Globalization Era: A Case Study of Urban Diplomacy

Paradiplomacy or parallel diplomacy, meaning subnational identities playing a role in foreign policy and their participation in international relations independent of the central governments, has gained growing importance in the globalization era. This is due to the erosion of governments and fading of borders which are themselves due to the decrease in the authority of central governments and increase in the functions of regional states and governments. In such a horizontal atmosphere in the global governance which is based on multilateral, multilayered and multi-faceted governance, participation of subnational players such as cities, within the framework of urban diplomacy, is increasing. This research investigates the effects of globalization on paradiplomacy, and it is based on a case study of urban diplomacy. The hypothesis is that in the globalization era, paradiplomacy has been reinforced and therefore as a result of increasing levels of “self-governance”, the participation level of regional governments and autonomous entities in foreign relations, especially in the fields of economic, commercial, cultural, and educational cooperation, has increased.