Simon Curtis is Lecturer in International Politics at the University of East Anglia. He was previously Michael Leifer Scholar in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science. His research interests are in international theory and international history.

• Introduction: Empowering Cities; Simon Curtis 1. The Meaning of Global Cities: Rethinking the Relationship between Cities, States and International Order; Simon Curtis 2. The Common Sense of Global City ‘Actorness’ in Contemporary World Politics; Kristin Ljungkvist 3. A Networked Urban World: Empowering Cities to Tackle Environmental Challenges; Sofie Bouteligier 4. An Urban Affair: How Mayors Shape Cities for World Politics; Michele Acuto 5. Globalization, Governance and the Production of Urban Socio-Ecological Space; Nik Janos and Corina Mckendry 6. The International Activities of Canadian Cities: Are Canadian Cities Challenging the Gate-Keeper Position of the Federal Executive in International Affairs?; Emmanuel Brunet-Jailly 7. Municipal Bonds and Global Power; Mark Amen 8. Johannesburg: Financial 'Gateway' to Africa; Elizabeth Cobbett

"By addressing the political dimension to cities in globalization, this book can be viewed as long overdue, but this does not mean that it lacks maturity in the way its themes are researched. Building upon the largely economic work on global cities, the chapters show how cities are not just actors in current international politics but that they have become integral to both old (‘high’) politics such as security and new politics such as environment. The Power of Cities in International Relations should become a benchmark for understanding twenty first century international relations."—Peter Taylor, Northumbria University