When City Diplomacy Meets Geopolitics: A Framework to Help Cities Navigate Geopolitical Risk

Crises and the increasing polarization of international relations make political risk analysis an indispensable resource for internationally active public and private entities. Long considered by scholars and practitioners as a moral niche in international relations, there is now growing awareness that city diplomacy can channel geopolitical risk. The autonomy in their international relations, that has made cities in democratic countries major players and beneficiaries of city diplomacy, now exposes them to risks that they can hardly analyze and manage independently. The national government and academia emerge as the main partners in capacitating cities in democratic countries to navigate today’s complex geopolitical balances profitably and safely.