Jeune Street

Foreign Policy has a fascinating snapshot of the world's global cities, and the author takes the opportunity to indulge is prognostication:

Cities are the real magnets of economies, the innovators of politics, and, increasingly, the drivers of diplomacy. Those that aren't capitals act like they are. Foreign policy seems to take place even among cities within the same country, whether it's New York and Washington feuding over financial regulation or Dubai and Abu Dhabi vying for leadership of the United Arab Emirates. This new world of cities won't obey the same rules as the old compact of nations; they will write their own opportunistic codes of conduct, animated by the need for efficiency, connectivity, and security above all else....

Taken together, the advent of global hubs and megacities forces us to rethink whether state sovereignty or economic might is the new prerequisite for participating in global diplomacy. The answer is of course both, but while sovereignty is eroding and shifting, cities are now competing for global influence alongside states.

What is interesting is that cities have historically and presently been more interested in global openness than have states. Their leaders see the economic and social benefits in rules-based international order, and their internal dynamism make them less invested in the inefficiencies of state boundaries. Could future global order be driven forward by networks of powerful cities?