Para-diplomacy, soft power and municipal international cooperation: The case of Guanajuato

Abstract

Soft power has a prominent role in international relations. Power is usually understood from a relational logic. Soft power presents two problems: its conversion and its measurement at the national level. The goal is to analyze the relation between soft power and the para-diplomatic activity of municipalities. The methodology is based on the confrontation between our understanding of municipal soft power with the understanding developed by Joseph Nye. Certain socioeconomic and geographic conditions may increase the power of subnational governments to act, with or independently from other actors. Results suggest that Guanajuato Capital holds a significant cultural and educational/scientific stock, a foundation for its potential soft power. It is concluded that para-diplomatic activity, anchored in a significant soft power stock, strengthens the possibilities for the conduction of horizontal cooperation between subnational governments. The advantage is that cooperation is not rivalry-prone nor does it need to exercise power over other actors.