ABSTRACT
The anarchical nature of the international society has for long been blamed for many of the shortcomings in addressing common concerns. Scholars and policymakers alike, confronted with the "glacial" pace of international responses to global challenges, have often blamed, as former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan put it, "a frightening lack of leadership" and called on diplomats to "show courage" in the wake of "the greatest challenges of our time". Urban issues have regularly featured, for instance, in the yearly "Cities Issue" of Foreign Policy, which has been reporting to the international audience on failures and successes of major metropolises since 2008. Confronted with the shortcomings of international political processes, many scholars and diplomats have frequently turned to the nongovernmental organization (NGO) sphere in search of more practical action on global challenges. Capacity to tackle global challenges, and a central positioning in these, are not left to the often loose ends of rhetoric.
