Globalization and the change of frame in which international relations develop.

The invasion in the world of the new process called Globalization in the late 1980’s, has generated different changes in all the fields in which men develop, such as economy, culture, communications, knowledge, etc. International relations are not immune to this dynamic process of changes in the world.

Prior to this phenomenon, international relations were developed between states. Among these states, meetings were held, agreements and treaties were signed, etc. Sub national organizations, such as municipalities, provinces, states, districts, counties, etc, delegated the international relations to the national government. But this process of delegation of power has begun to revert; sub national organizations are increasingly starting to establish its own international links, independent from the links established by national governments.

This is a phenomenon that covers not only big but also small cities. In both cases, cities have intrinsic relation with globalization but for various reasons.

As regards big cities, globalization influenced producing a quantity of changes in general, but particularly in the culture.

It has been created a new culture that it is not rooted to a particular country but it is of world domain. This has produced a cultural break within all the countries.Before this global culture appeared, each country had its own culture, different to the other countries. This means that there was a national identity which contrasted with the other national identities: any citizen of a country felt different to any other citizen of other country. However, the establishment of a culture that was not linked to any country in particular but instead it was worldwide, generated a world cultural identity independent from the country the person lives. Inhabitants from different countries share one culture even though they live thousands of kilometers away, and at the same time they can have completely different cultures from other people who live a few kilometers away inside its own country.

This phenomenon makes that the international relations that countries have no longer represent the interests of sub national states because some of them do not identify with the culture the country in which they live has. That is why people by themselves start establishing relations with those sub national states which share the same culture.

Globalized cities are more similar among each other than with their neighbor cities. London has, for example, much more things in common with New York than with Winchester. Buenos Aires is more similar to San Pablo than to Mercedes. This leads to these globalized cities to come closer, relate with each other and strengthen links with those cities with which they have more aspects in common and that are not necessarily the closest ones.

As regards small cities which maintain their national cultural identity and where the global culture has not yet prevailed, the interest in relating with the world is because they currently have the possibility to do it. In the past, it was impossible for a district to establish strong and close links with the rest of the world, either by economic reasons or by human resources, lack of knowledge, little income, doubtful benefits, etc. Today, any district which intends to set forth its own foreign policy is able to do so. This possibility represents a great opportunity for a comprehensive development of the cities. By interacting with the neighbor cities to start interacting with the whole world, increases transcendentally the capacity of development of the city. Keeping closed to the world limits unnecessarily the progress these cities may reach.

In economic and labor terms, by trying to get investments and companies to settle in the city at a national level, to try to look at a global level, multiplies the possibilities of concreting investments which represents an economic improvement and a drop in unemployment in the city. From the cultural point of view, opening to the world generates an exchange that enriches the culture of the actors involved, since not only our habits, music, art, etc can be made public, but also a quantitative leap in our own culture is produced by gaining access to a different culture.

As regards knowledge, links with universities, educational institutes from distinct parts of the world can be established, which means broadening the possibilities of access to the knowledge of the population as a whole.

Concerning technology and infrastructure improvements, strengthening the links with cities with great development in those areas, secures the specialized advice, experience, human resources, etc that makes much more affordable the progress in those areas than trying to progress in those areas independently.

To conclude with, the development of international relations between sub national organizations are of paramount importance for these organizations to progress.