Tuesday, 19 February 2013

How cities transform international relations

Today, more than half of the world's population lives in cities, and in the next decades the number will rise.

"With most people living in urban areas, what happens in and between cities will shape the world of the future -- and transform international relations", writes SAIS Dean Vali Nasr in the latest edition of SAISPHERE, the journal for alumni and friends of the SAIS community.

Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York and a Johns Hopkins alumnus, discusses the challenges facing New York and how cities can address some of today's most critical global issues.

Kenneth Keller, SAIS Bologna Director and professor of Science and Technology Policy, explains the term "smart city" and discusses how "properly employed information and communication technology can enhance physical community and hence its role in creating smart cities".

Seth G. Jones, professorial lecturer in the Strategic Studies Program at SAIS and associate director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at RAND, looks at how "the trend towards urban insurgencies will have an impact on the nature of insurgency -- and counterinsurgency".

Erik Jones, director of SAIS's European Studies Program, and second year MA student Jozefien Willemen look at whether London or New York is the world's financial capital.

Inside the magazine, more on cities from all around the world and views from experts across SAIS.

Amina Abdiuahab