This master thesis analyses, through a case study, how cities can be understood in international relations through the framework of soft power. Cities as actors are still neglected in the discipline of international relations, yet the concept of soft power offers a systematic framework for analysing the functioning of cities in international relations, given their unique position as non-state actors with political representation of their citizens. Through Ohnesorge's soft power framework, the thesis conducts a case study of New York City at the launch of the Voluntary Local Review initiative. The chosen framework has four soft power elements, i.e. sources, instruments, response and outcomes, where the first pair of elements deals with the side of the actor exercising soft power (i.e. actor A, in this case New York City) and the second pair with the side of the actors against whom soft power is exercised (i.e. actor B, in this case the UN, other cities, city networks and other relevant actors), therefore enabling a complete picture. The case study is thus analysed using Ohnesorge's soft power framework and attempts to demonstrate its suitability for conducting a case study of cities' soft power, thereby building a basis for further theoretical exploration of the position of cities in international relations through the lens of soft power.
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