Paradiplomacy: a nation-building strategy? A reference to the Basque Country

Abstract

This chapter shows how nationalism logically leads regional governments to seek international agency. The first section argues that paradiplomacy is a likely consequence of the existence of a strong nationalist movement because it prodvides opportunities for identity/nation building, political-territorial mobilization and the promotion of regional interests.The second section suggests that regional autonomy, constitutional frameworks and the national foreign policy agenda are the crucial elements of this domestic context. The third section examines the case of the Basque Country.