Abstract

In terms of post-industrial society a nature of all the basic components of its existence changes, including the area of international relations and list of key position players in it. Centralization and recognition of state as the main actor of IR change by understanding of polyarchy, and presence in this field new actors, among them cities are distinguished. We consider that the cities in area of IR can realize itself in three different images – as actors, agents and IR subjects. This understanding makes it possible to imagine actual and potential possibilities of city as a player in the area of IR, moreover, is not limited to examining only global cities, as it happens in theory of IR at present. So global city are the actors of modern IR. Global city as actor is an active member of IR, who having their own actual or potential resources, independently, according to own understanding of their interests, decides and realizes a certain own strategy that affects on the international system. The main functions of this city are: a mediation at different levels ; function of international trade and financial centers; center of production and dissemination of information; transnational administration of multinational corporations; as a center of political decision-making, in which the main part of headquarters of both international organizations and international NGOs are concentrated. Another group of cities acts as agent of international relations. The main attribute of agent is dependence on the system. The agent acts as a conductor of certain strategies, norms, herewith the logic of system determines the agent`s logic of action. That is a city as IR agent doesn`t create its own foreign policy or international strategies, but it acts at the level of international cooperation. In today`s world, most the cities are not independent subjects of international law or active creators of their own strategies. However, they maintain active contacts with one another and develop cooperation in any field. International cooperation between cities also been called “city diplomacy”. The last aspect of city existence in area of IR are subjects that don`t act as active players of international relations on global or on local levels.