Para-, proto-, secondary diplomacy,

Nebenaußenpolitik – border regions’ international

activities within multi-level governance and cross-border

integrationEuropean and North American approaches

Martin Klatt, PhD.Associate Professor

Dept. of Border Region StudiesSønderborg

Outline

1. Cross-border cooperation as a form of secondary diplomacy

2. European and North American examples3. Governance: problem solving or peace building?

1. German – Danish approach2. US-Canada

1. ”Peace Arch etc.2. Roll-back after 9/11 2001

4. Consequences

Para-, proto- diplomacy, Nebenaußenpolitik

International relations of federal states, regions, provinces, municipalities

Secondary diplomacy, ”non-state” diplomacy Difficult term Formalized (agreements, treaties,

representations) Informalized (networks, working relations)

Cross-border governance in Europe and North America

”State of the art”: North America: flow oriented, functional, non-

formalized (i.e. Blatter/Clement 2000, Blatter 2001) Economical/Ecological motives dominate and/or steer

cooperation Europe: territorial approach, formalized –

euroregions, EGTC (Scott, Perkmann, Paasi …) Create cross-border regions, territories Political motives dominate

”peace building” Europe of the people Bottom-up Europeanization

Europe of (Cross-Border) Regions?

Keating: regionalization of power is not the aim of EU Regional Policies, nor in the interest of nation states*

Schmitt-Egner: Transnational Regionalism – regions develop cross-border action space

Multi-level governance: Regions and Cross-border Regions have become important players in the EU’s system of multilevel governance

M. Keating: (2008) A Quarter Century of the Europe of Regions, Regional and Federal Studies 18 (5), 629-635

A Europe of Cross-Border Regions (CBRs)?

Source: Association of European Border Regions

Sønderjylland-Schleswig – A cross-border Region?

Region Sønderjylland-Schleswig was founded as a euroregion in 1997

Historic reference to the Duchy of Schleswig

Territorial reference

Peace building?

Narrative connected with the minority situation

Applied on the people-to-people activities

”Der må være en grænse!”May 1997

Fl. Tageblatt, 9 May 2011

Governance

Restructured in 2011 Infocenter Facilitator for cross-border projects No clear political function

Framework of German-Danish coop.

South-Western Baltic Sea Transregional Area Implementig New Geography (STRING)

Cooperation Schleswig-Holstein – Region South Denmark

Border Triangle Region Sønderjylland-Schleswig Interreg Germany-Denmark

Familiarity?

Poll in 2012 (Region South Denmark, 1,000 people north and south of the border) 75% agreed at least ”somewhat”: regional

Germans and Danes have much in common 75% did not have family or friends on the other

side of the border So how do they know?

US-Canada – border of peace?

Narrative of the longest, unguarded border of the world

Rollback since 9/11 2001

Smart Border Security paradigm Total control Pre-check, EDL,

preferred traveller, NEXUS etc.

Local influence????

North American CBRs*

*Govt. of Canada, Policy Research Initiative, 2008Method: primarily economic relations (trade)

Pacific North West Economic Region (PNWER)

”The gold standard of US-Canadian relations” Foundation, created by Alaska, Idaho, Oregon,

Montana, Washington State, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Yukon, North West Territories

One big conference/year Several working groups Small secretariate in Seattle (WA) Politics, business, academia Governance: problem solving, case oriented

International Mobility and Trade Corridor Program

International working group along I 5 corridor Many stakeholders: from Federal institutions to

first nation tribes – mostly public Monthly meetings Aim: improving transport and mobility Governance: informing, discussing, cross-

border problem solving – no influence on the general agenda (security paradigm)

Cascadia Mayors’ Council

Working group of mayors (municipal) in Cascadia Started in 1998, suspended in 2007 (last meeting

in 2006) Great visions, no results Informative meetings, some resolutions (against

tougher border control) Depended on personal commitment Suspended due to lack of interest/tangible results

Environmental cooperation

Salish Sea Eco System Conference (initiators: EPA, Environment Canada) Annual conference involving different stakeholders

(politics, business, NGOs, academia) Critical dialogue, forum of information exchange

Abbotsford Sumas Aquifer International Task Force Cross-border water reservoir Cooperation driven by necessity

Washington State – BC cross-border task force Elapsed Dependent on personal commitment Each party has to solve their own issues first

Cross-border governance

Multi-level, low authority Stakeholder oriented Project oriented Dependent on commitment and necessity Low level institutionalisation No special focus on cross-border territoriality

Diplomacy?

Good, multi-level networks Competing with the sovereignty principle – but do

they win? Reproducing borders through cooperation Peace-building?

Reversibility (9/11, Danish border controls) Continuous unfamiliarity (DE-DK) Reduced interaction (US-CA)

References

Blatter, J. and N. Clement (2000). Transborder Collaboration in Europe and North America: Explaining Similarities and Differences. Borders, Regions and People. M. v. d. Velde and H. v. Houtum. London, Pion: 85-103.

BLATTER, J. K. (2001). "Debordering the World of States:: Towards a Multi-Level System in Europe and a Multi-Polity System in North America? Insights from Border Regions." European Journal of International Relations 7(2): 175-209.