The Foreign Service Journal, January-February 2022

34 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2022 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Los Angeles is home to many enormous diaspora populations— e.g., the largest Mexican population outside Mexico and the largest Armenian, Filipino, Iranian, Korean and some 14 other foreign-born populations in the United States. Altogether, our residents are nearly 40 percent foreign born, and hundreds of languages are spoken in our schools. So it is not surprising that Los Angeles needs a foreign policy capacity of its own. The difference betweenmy previous work as a U.S. ambassador andmy current role as deputy mayor is that I now need to ask myself whether the work of my team inMayor Eric Garcetti’s office is benefiting Angelenos in tangible ways. Goals like ensuring the stability of a region or increasing America’s influ- ence are important, of course, and Los Angeles seeks to spread its values, too. But foreign policy should bring concrete benefits to individual Americans, as the Biden teamhas suggested. In L.A. my team focuses on creating jobs, solving global prob- lems that affect our residents, offering young Angelenos global skills and experiences, and supporting our domestic and foreign partners. We create jobs by facilitating foreign direct investment, encouraging new nonstop flights, conducting trademissions and assisting exporters.The 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, whichMayor Garcetti secured, will also provide an economic boost. Global problem-solving initiatives often happen in conjunction with other cities and amultitude of city networks. With wildfires, heat and drought increasingly afflicting Angelenos, the city has developed very ambitious goals to reduce its own emissions. But we canmultiply that impact through global-local leadership. Mayor Garcetti chairs C40, a network of megacities committed to lower- ing carbon emissions. At the November 2021 U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP) in Glasgow, he announced the commitment of more than 1,000 cities worldwide, representing 722million people, to halve their fair share of emissions by 2030 and to be net zero by 2050.This was one of the biggest contributions to lowering carbon emissions delivered at COP26. L.A. also started a network to advance gender equity with Barcelona, Freetown, London, Mexico City and Tokyo. And we’ve been working with cities in Eastern Europe through the Pact of Free Cities on how cities can implement a progressive agenda, including on climate and LGBTQ rights, in the face of increasingly illiberal central governments. The centerpiece of our work for young Angelenos is a program that offers free international trips to low-income community col- lege students who would not otherwise have the chance to travel abroad and benefit from that unique experience. For many, these trips are a first chance to fly on an airplane. In terms of partnerships, because conflicts abroad echo through our diaspora populations, they want their local govern- ment to take a stand or get involved. We also engage the hundreds of foreign diplomats based in L.A. on policy questions, exchanges and cultural events and host heads of state on a regular basis. A Foreign Policy Challenge When it comes to city and state diplomacy, the United States is playing catch-up. American cities are almost universally under- staffed, andmany do not have even one person dedicated to foreign policy. Foreign cities, in contrast, have dozens, even a hundred (as does Shanghai) officials working exclusively on foreign affairs. Local American politicians are often concerned that voters will punish them for international engagement, as it may appear to come at the expense of a focus on basic city functions. But the COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us that city leaders need to be informed of international trends and events. Cities can sometimes learn how to address basic needs more effectively from foreign examples, and as described, many benefits for residents—jobs, friends, ideas, experi- ences, and so on—can flow from international engagement. Finally, at the most essential level, cities and towns make deci- sions that create the conditions to help raise future diplomats, innovators, development workers, policy experts, soldiers and leaders. To stay competitive and influential, the United States must optimize the chances for each and every American to realize their full potential. We need tomake sure that every child has access to quality, affordable, early childhood education, not tomention plenty of food, shelter, clean air, clean water and safety. We have no time for racism, misogyny or bigotry of any kind. This is, in fact, a national security and foreign policy challenge as much as a domes- tic one, and it’s almost entirely in the hands of local governments and their local partners. The Biden administration is right in seeking to break down the silos between foreign and domestic policy. To achieve a “foreign policy for the middle class,” it could help to include the views of cities and states, as they are closer to the people. That begins with creating an Office of City and State Diplomacy at the State Depart- ment, as recent legislation proposes, but it also requires a cultural shift in the State Department that hopefully begins with opportuni- ties like this one for local officials tomake their case. n American cities are almost universally understaffed, and many do not have even one person dedicated to foreign policy. Foreign cities, in contrast, have dozens.