Global Political Cities: Actors and Arenas of Influence in International Affairs

Description

The British empire declined decades ago, but London remains one of the world's preeminent centers of finance, commerce, and international politics. London is just one of the global cities assuming greater importance in the 21st century. Global Political Cities shows how and why cities are re-asserting their historic role at the forefront of international economic and political life.

In this seminar, Kent Calder will discuss his new book which focuses on fifteen major cities across Europe, Asia, and the U.S., including London, Brussels, Geneva, Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, and Beijing, as well as New York City and Washington, D.C. In addition to highlighting the achievements of high-profile mayors, the book chronicles the growing influence of think tanks, mass media, and other global agenda-setters in their local urban political settings. It also explores how these cities serve in the internet age as the global stage for grassroots appeals and protests of international significance.

Global Political Cities shows why cities cope much better than nations with many global problems and how their strengths can help transform both nations and the broader world in the future. The book offers important insights for students of both international and comparative political economy; diplomats and other government officials; executives of businesses with global reach; and general readers interested in how the world is changing around them.

Speaker Biography:

Kent E. Calder is director of the Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies in Washington, D.C. He also previously served as vice dean for faculty affairs and international research cooperation at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, in the fall of 2014. Before arriving at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in 2003, he taught for twenty years at Princeton University, and acted as a visiting professor at Seoul National University and lecturer in government at Harvard University. Calder has also served as special advisor to the U.S. ambassador to Japan (1997-2001), Japan chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (1989-1993 and 1996), and as the first executive director of Harvard University's Program on U.S.–Japan Relations (1979-1980). He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1979, where he worked under the direction of Ambassador Edwin O. Reischauer.