The Emergence of Cities as Political Actors on the Global Arena: How Do Cities and their Widening Role Challenge the Traditional Concepts of International Relations

With the rising importance of global challenges produced by non-state actors, the role of the cities in the global arena has become more evident. This research paper would examine the expanding role of cities in global politics and their significant policies in fighting such global challenges as climate change, global security threats and COVID-19 pandemics. Furthermore, it would explore the cities networks and their operation as well as the phenomena of ‘city diplomacy’ and ‘glocal governance’. The aim of this inquiry is to observe the changes that brought cities again to play a significant role in managing global problems as well as to evaluate if the cities have a substantial influence on the international challenges. The study would look at the perspectives of different international relations theories on governance, security and actorhood to find the constraints of classical theories in the modern world. The paper is mostly theoretically directed, with the emphasis on literature and empirical analyses. The hypothesis of the research aims to prove the continuously rising significance of cities in the eyes of international organisations and communities.