Beyond territoriality : the internationalization of cities. Notes on the shifting of political borders

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The evolution of certain practices observable in city government gives some original information on the movement of the borders of international politics. Following the shifting of the legitimacy of such practices, we can see how local political activities participate in the constitution of a social order which, using the analysis of John Ruggie, goes beyond the modern construction of territoriality. In the case of twin cities, these practices were conceived of as forms of friendship connected to communal territoriality. Today, cities’ strategies of international positioning tend to extend farther than this approach and organize them in a relationship with their international environment that is competitive and multidimensional. – Summary AFRI-2001