Cities and States: The Future of International Politics | Emmet Hollingshead | TEDxMacalesterCollege

Summary

This speech highlights the transformative impact of local and state governments on international politics through initiatives like the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP), which fosters global connections. It underscores the role of smaller actors in influencing international issues, such as trade, climate change, diplomacy, and human rights. Examples include states establishing foreign trade offices, coalitions combating climate change, and cities declaring themselves human rights cities, demonstrating the growing significance of subnational entities in shaping global governance.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The speaker's internship at Global Minnesota opened their eyes to the significant role local organizations and governments can play on the global stage.
• 🌟 The International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) is a State Department-funded initiative that brings international leaders to the U.S. to foster personal connections and exchange ideas.
• 🏛️ Local and state governments are increasingly engaging in international politics, often with more direct impact on citizens' lives than national or multinational entities.
• 💼 The concept of 'local to local internationalism' is highlighted, emphasizing the importance of relationships between smaller political actors.
• 🌳 State governments are taking the lead on international trade, with some opening foreign trade offices to attract investment and support local businesses in global markets.
• 🌍 States are forming international coalitions to combat climate change, going beyond national policies to collaborate on renewable energy and emissions reductions.
• 🏙️ Cities are declaring themselves 'human rights cities,' aligning local policies with international human rights norms and promoting these values within their communities.
• 🤝 State and local governments are building political connections abroad, influencing international diplomacy and demonstrating their capacity to act independently in global affairs.
• 🌱 The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and the Global Covenant of Mayors are examples of subnational entities working together to address environmental challenges.
• 📈 State and local governments' actions in areas like trade, climate change, and human rights are indicative of a growing trend towards global governance at the local level.

Q & A

What was the speaker's major and area of interest?

The speaker was an international studies and political science major with an interest in international politics and governance.

At which nonprofit organization did the speaker intern?

The speaker interned at a nonprofit called Global Minnesota.

What is the primary goal of Global Minnesota?

Global Minnesota works to connect the local to the international.

What is the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP)?

IVLP is a program that brings local leaders from abroad to the U.S. to interact with professionals of similar backgrounds, often described as 'study abroad for adults'.

How long do the trips in the IVLP last and how long do participants stay in each city?

The trips in the IVLP last for two to three weeks, with participants staying in each city for three or four days.

What is the concept of 'local to local internationalism' mentioned in the script?

The concept of 'local to local internationalism' refers to the idea that local organizations and governments can play a significant role on the world stage and build personal connections across borders.

How are state and local governments in the U.S. influencing international trade?

State and local governments are influencing international trade by opening their own foreign trade offices abroad to facilitate trade relationships and attract foreign investment.

What is the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and how does it work?

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is a market-based program that allows provinces and states in Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. to participate in a common carbon market to reduce CO2 emissions.

How are cities managing relationships abroad by building political connections?

Cities are managing relationships abroad by building political connections through initiatives like the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy and the Global Parliament of Mayors, which bring local and urban concerns to international policymaking forums.

What is the significance of cities declaring themselves as 'human rights cities'?

Cities declaring themselves as 'human rights cities' is significant because it shows political recognition of human rights norms and allows local governments to structure their policies around international human rights agreements.

Why are state and local governments' roles in international politics important?

State and local governments' roles in international politics are important because they can have a direct impact on citizens' lives and provide opportunities for individuals to influence global issues through local actions and policies.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Local Impact on Global Politics

The speaker, an international studies and political science major, recounts their transformative internship at Global Minnesota, a nonprofit that bridges local and international affairs. They discuss the importance of local organizations, particularly governments, in global politics and highlight the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP), which connects international leaders with U.S. professionals. The program, partially funded by the State Department, emphasizes personal connections and the concept of 'local to local internationalism,' which focuses on the influence of smaller actors in international politics. The speaker argues that local actions often have a more direct impact on individuals and are more amenable to personal influence.

05:01

🌳 State and Local Government's Role in Global Issues

The speaker elaborates on how state and local governments are actively shaping global political discourse in areas such as international trade, climate change, diplomacy, and human rights. They mention that fifteen states have opened foreign trade offices to attract investment and aid small businesses in exporting. States are also taking the lead in combating climate change, with some forming international coalitions and initiatives beyond national policies. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy are highlighted as examples of state and city-led efforts to reduce emissions and promote renewable energy. The speaker also discusses the political capital built by these governments through international connections and their commitment to human rights, as evidenced by cities declaring themselves human rights cities and aligning their policies with international norms.

Keywords

💡Internship

An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. In the context of the video, the speaker's internship at Global Minnesota provided a transformative experience, changing their perspective on international politics and governance. It allowed them to understand the role of local organizations in global affairs.

💡Global Minnesota

Global Minnesota is a nonprofit organization mentioned in the script that aims to connect local communities with international issues. It exemplifies how local entities can engage in global dialogues and actions, which is a central theme of the video.

💡International Politics

International politics refers to the interactions between nations and other global actors in the arena of international relations. The video discusses how traditional views of international politics often overlook the influence of local actors, which is a perspective the speaker aims to challenge.

💡Local to Local Internationalism

This concept refers to the idea that local governments and organizations can engage directly with their counterparts abroad, bypassing traditional international relations that focus on nation-states. The video emphasizes the growing importance of this approach in global governance.

💡International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP)

The IVLP is a program that brings international leaders to the U.S. to interact with professionals in various fields. It is used in the video to illustrate how local connections can foster international understanding and cooperation.

💡State Department

The U.S. Department of State is responsible for international relations and diplomacy. In the context of the video, it partially funds and administers the IVLP, highlighting the intersection of federal and local efforts in international engagement.

💡Climate Change

Climate change is a global environmental issue discussed in the video as an area where state and local governments are taking initiative. The speaker mentions how states are forming international coalitions to combat climate change, demonstrating local governments' active role in global issues.

💡Paris Climate Agreement

The Paris Agreement is an international treaty aimed at combating climate change. The video references states that have declared their commitment to the agreement, showing how subnational governments can influence global environmental policy.

💡Global Covenant of Mayors

The Global Covenant of Mayors is a global alliance of cities committed to addressing climate change. It is mentioned in the video as an example of how cities are taking the lead in implementing policies and setting goals for climate action.

💡Human Rights Cities

Human Rights Cities are cities that have declared their commitment to upholding human rights as outlined in international agreements. The video discusses how local governments can play a crucial role in recognizing and advancing human rights within their jurisdictions.

💡Interconnected World

The concept of an interconnected world refers to the increasing global interdependence in economic, political, and social spheres. The video argues for the importance of recognizing the role of local and state governments in this interconnected context of international politics.

Highlights

Internship at Global Minnesota provided a transformative experience for an international studies and political science major.

Global Minnesota connects the local to the international, focusing on local organizations and state governments' global impact.

The International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) is a State Department-funded initiative that brings international leaders to the U.S. for professional exchange.

IVLP participants include a diverse range of professionals, from artists to activists, fostering personal connections and local internationalism.

Local internationalism emphasizes the political activity and influence of smaller actors, often with more direct impact on individuals.

State and local governments are increasingly involved in international trade, with some opening foreign trade offices to facilitate relationships.

State policies on international trade can have far-reaching effects on national businesses and global economic activity.

Some states are taking the lead in combating climate change by building international coalitions and initiatives.

California's efforts to integrate electric grids with Mexico and join the Under2 Coalition demonstrate state-led climate action.

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is a North American carbon market that has raised significant funds for renewable energy projects.

Cities are forming global alliances, like the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, to implement climate policies.

State and local governments are building political connections abroad, influencing international diplomacy beyond national channels.

Canadian emissaries' meetings with U.S. state governors and officials highlight the diplomatic efforts of subnational governments.

Cities declaring themselves human rights cities and aligning policies with international human rights norms is a growing trend.

State and local governments have significant power to enact human rights policies, affecting legal rights, policing, and economic equality.

The role of states and cities in international politics is growing, reflecting the interconnectedness of the modern world.

Transcripts

last summer I landed one of those rare

gems an internship that truly changed

the way I think about what I do I'm an

international studies and political

science major and I'm interested in

international politics and governance my

internship was at the nonprofit called

global Minnesota which works to connect

the local to the international and my

experience I mean thinking about the

ways that local organizations

particularly local and state governments

can play a role on the world stage as it

turns out that can do a lot

take a loo Minnesota as an example they

enlist experts to give speeches and lead

panels on certain topics they host forms

between members of the community to

discuss those topics and they do

educational outreach so the kids can

grow up with a sense of the

international and a deeper understanding

of the world outside their communities

the program that I worked on

specifically was called the

international visitors Leadership

Program or IVLP IVLP is partially funded

and administered by the State Department

but it wouldn't be possible without the

day-to-day operations run by local

nonprofits in a way you might think of

IVLP as study abroad for adults u.s.

embassies abroad identify local leaders

in government and the private sector and

they bring them to the u.s. to go to

different cities I mean with

professionals of a similar background

the trips are in the US for two to three

weeks and they're in each city for three

or four days what I found particularly

interesting about IVLP

is that this isn't just for political

leaders and business owners I worked

with artists from Tunisia with minority

rights activists from Eastern Europe

journalists from Bangladesh these are

all different types of people from all

different walks of life participating in

all different kinds of careers IVLP is

about building personal connections and

what is the sort of local to local

internationalism and has this concept of

local to local internationalism that I

became so interested in traditional

conceptions of international politics

tend to look at the big actors we look

at nation-states and multinational

corporations and multinational NGOs but

when we look at the world through this

lens we miss out on a whole other

spectrum of political activity between

smaller actors and it's often the

activity among these smaller actors

which has more direct impact on our

lives in which we as individuals have

more ability to influence IVLP works on

the social and professional side

this there's also a more concrete legal

political and economic side to it as

well and across the u.s. cities and

state governments are realizing this and

there's a growing network of global

governance based on this concept of

local to local internationalism and

today I want to share with you a few

areas in which state and local

governments are transforming the way

that we talk about and we address global

political issues those areas are

international trade combative climate

change diplomacy and international human

rights for state governments their main

focus is international trade they're

currently fifteen states would have

opened their own foreign trade offices

abroad to facilitate trade relationships

these officers serve two purposes first

they attract foreign investment to the

home state by building relationships and

hosting informational forums the second

they help small businesses from their

home state begin and expand exporting by

identifying potential markets abroad

across the states though the program

serve similar ends there's varying

levels of commitment and methodology of

course some states don't participate in

this at all others are small for

instance Texas has so offices are in

Mexico City Minnesota's only offices are

in China but compare that to a state

like Pennsylvania Pennsylvania has open

almost 20 offices worldwide spending all

six inhabited continents and employing

hundreds of people in terms of

methodology New York's global and why

program gives out thirty five million

dollars in grants and loans every year

to help small businesses from New York

begin in international markets other

states take a more hands-on approach

like Kentucky Kentucky doesn't give out

money but they offer direct hands-on

assistance to businesses to help them

grow and these state policies affecting

the national business all over the world

some states realize that they have this

influence and they're leveraging it to

fight climate change you may have heard

about state and local governments

publicly declaring their commitment to

the Paris climate agreement but some

states are going even further and

they're building their own agreements

their own initiatives rather than just

setting policies within their own

jurisdictions they're actually building

international coalition's and reaching

across international borders to involve

every government at every level in the

collective fight against climate change

for example California is currently

working with Mexico to integrate their

electric grids

so the Californians can buy renewable

energy from Mexican windmills California

is also a signatory to the under two

coalition of state local and national

governments other signatories include

Oregon and Washington

citron Province in China Germany and

Santiago Chile the under two coalition

is set up similar to the Paris agreement

signatories develop their own policies

to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and

hold other states accountable when they

don't meet their goals as to find

another common agreement another

approach is the Regional Greenhouse Gas

Initiative here in North America the

initiative invites all provinces and

states in Mexico Canada and the US to

participate in a common carbon market so

far the market has raised over a billion

dollars and invested that money in

renewable energy projects u.s. states

would participate in the market have

seen an increase in economic activity at

the same time they have seen a decrease

in co2 emissions cities on their own

have developed the global Covenant of

Mayors for climate and energy which

involves over 7,000 cities worldwide

the Covenant helps cities implement

policies on climate change and sets

goals for all the participants similar

to the Global Covenant is global

Parliament on mayors but whereas the

Global Covenant focuses specifically on

climate change the goal of parliament

addresses all issues where cities around

the world face they open up lines of

communication between city governments

and bring local and urban concerns to

international policymaking forums that's

representative of a third way that state

and local governments are influencing

the world stage and that's managing

relationships abroad by building

political connections these governments

are creating political capital which

could be used on a wide range of issues

for another example take a look at

Canada's efforts to connect with every

level of US politics within the first

few months of the Trump administration

Canadian emissaries held meetings with

35 state governors and lieutenant

governor's as well as congressmen and

mayor's to supplement their channels

through the US State Department this

shows the extent to which state and

local governments can conduct an

influence international diplomacy so

he's on their own have also work towards

realizing the world which recognizes

human rights cities all around the world

have declared themselves human rights

cities and vowed to structure their

policies around

international norms and agreements like

the Universal Declaration on Human

Rights a few examples from the US

include Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Seattle

Washington and Jackson Mississippi is

important for two reasons first

political recognition is incredibly

important for moving Human Rights

forward and that's exactly what these

cities are doing by grounding their

policies in international human rights

norms these governments are picking up

the mantle of human rights and leading

their communities forward even when

national governments can't or won't

second it's important because state and

local governments have a lot of power to

make human rights happen policies

related to legal rights policing

economic equality after on it's set at

the federal level they're set at the

state and local level and that means

that the real and immediate decisions

affecting human rights aren't made by

national governments they're made by

state local governments when we think

about international political issues we

should think big we should come up with

grand ideas and hold even grander ideals

we shouldn't make that big thinking they

could focus only on the big actors

states and cities have an incredibly

important role to play in international

politics and that role is only going to

grow as we move forward into a more

interconnected world thank you

[Applause]