sister city

Definition

A formal relationship between two cities in different countries for cultural and commercial exchanges, proving that municipalities can have better diplomatic relations than their national governments. City-level diplomacy for when federal relations are awkward.

Example Usage

The mayor traveled to their sister city in Japan to strengthen economic ties and promote student exchange programs.

Origin

Post-World War II peace initiative, formalized by President Eisenhower's 1956 creation of Sister Cities International to promote people-to-people diplomacy.

Fun Fact

Some cities have dozens of sister cities—Los Angeles has 25—leading critics to question whether the term 'sister' means anything when you have that many siblings.

Source: Municipal diplomacy terminology

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