Is it time for cities to replace the state as the essential connectors for diplomacy and solutions to global challenges?
By Adam Ratzlaff
Miami is often referred to as the “Gateway to the Americas,” a space in which the United States and other nations can engage with Latin America and the Caribbean without actually leaving the U.S. This status was part of why the Clinton administration selected Miami as the host of the first Summit of the Americas in 1994. However, while one often thinks of diplomacy as being the purview of national governments, other actors can play a critical role, from artists and scientists to city governments. Given Miami’s unique history, demographics, and geography, the city is uniquely poised to serve as a leader to promote Hemispheric collaboration and innovation.
Given the high levels of political and social polarization we are experiencing today, particularly on key issues such as climate change, racial justice, and socio-economic equality, national level diplomacy is now more difficult than ever – highlighting the importance of alternatives. Cities have had to step up to address these challenges. This is true for the United States as well as abroad, for these issues are not ones that impact just the United States, but are endemic across the Americas. Cities can share their lessons and learn from one another on how best to tackle such difficulties.
The U.S. government is aware of how difficult it is to address shared challenges through interstate diplomacy and has opened the door to facilitate city diplomacy. Earlier this year, the United States hosted the first Cities Summit of the Americas in Denver to develop channels for city diplomacy in the Western Hemisphere. While the Cities Summit did not yield the same high-level declarations as its presidential-level counterpart, it did showcase how effective city diplomacy can be at promoting collective responses to shared dilemmas.
Miami has already begun to position itself as a hub for city diplomacy in the Americas. Florida International University started hosting the Inter-American Conference of Mayors and Local Authorities in 1996, annually bringing more than 500 mayors and city council members from Latin America and the Caribbean to Miami. Furthermore, groups often choose Miami as their own site for major conferences on the most pressing issues facing the region. Such is the case with Climate Week Miami, scheduled for next April and organized by CC35, a collective of representatives from the 35 capital cities of the Americas.
While these efforts have started – and mayors Daniella Levine Cava (Miami-Dade County) and Francis Suarez (City of Miami) often participate in city diplomacy and in international gatherings – more can be done to link Miami to the rest of the Americas. Often, Miami is viewed as being at the cutting edge of corporate diplomacy with he Americas rather than as a hub for policy innovation. But corporate and city diplomacy can and should supplement one another.
While much of the infrastructure is already in place, Miami ought to deepen ties with the region and make the city into the hub for Hemispheric cooperation and creativity in policy, business, and people-to-people interaction. For many municipalities, this has already happened, at least to some extent, with the historic Sister Cities program that encouraged U.S. cities to share answers to various urban problems with their global counterparts. The challenges facing the Americas, however, are now more dire than ever. Miami is uniquely situated to serve as a bridge for solutions across the Western Hemisphere.
Adam Ratzlaff is a specialist and consultant in Inter-American Affairs as well as a PhD candidate at Florida International University.
