Evolution of Paradiplomacy

The history of the engagement of cities and regions with foreign countries can be traced back to the Greek city-states of Athens, Corinth, Thebes and Sparta and the ancient Egyptian city-states of Thebes and Memphis. In the pre-Columbian era, many Mesoamerican cities, such as Chichen Itza, Tikal, Monte Albán and Tenochtitlan developed relations with foreign countries. Other such examples include the Central Asian cities of the Silk Road and the Viking colonial cities in medieval Ireland. Later, in the 15 th century, Milan, under the Italian condottiere, Francesco Sforza, played a leading role in launching permanent embassies in the city-states of northern Italy. These examples can loosely characterise the presence of paradiplomacy 5000 years ago. 1