Außenbeziehungen von Regionen in Europa und der Welt - External Relations of Regions in Europe and the World

Cross-border interregional cooperation has developed over the past decades throughout Western Europe; since 1989/90 such patterns of cooperation have started to include large parts of Central and Eastern Europe. External relations of such subnational territorial entities are not restricted to cross-border activities. Regions have adopted the role of actors in international relations, and observers use the term "para-diplomacy” for the phenomenon which can be found throughout the world. This volume deals with external relations of regions. The contributions presented at an international conference on the occasion of the fifties birthday of the German state Baden-Württemberg describe and analyse external relations of Baden-Württemberg, of regions in other EU member states (Belgium, Italy, Spain, France, Great Britain); they deal with cross-border cooperation including regions in Central and Eastern Europe; and, finally, they inform about external relations of Canadian and South African provinces, of Australian states and of US-State and local governments.
The book contributes to our knowledge in the fields of international relations and with respect to the international role of subnational entities in federal or regionalized systems.