The link between Santa Fe and Córdoba with the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait and its implications on the relationship between the latter and the national government (2019-2022)

Abstract

In recent decades there has been a multiplication of actors operating in the international arena. Among the latter, the subnational actors, that’s to say: the regions, provinces and municipalities, have assumed an increasingly active role. The objective of this paper is to analyze the characteristics presented by the paradiplomacy of the provinces of Santa Fe and Córdoba with the EAU and Kuwait, as well as its impact on the relationship of this Arab states with the national government, in the period that it extends between 2015 and 2022. Meanwhile, it is concluded that the bonds of friendship that Argentine subnational actors have been able to build with their peers from the Arabian Gulf have a positive impact, strengthening the relationship between the latter and the national government. Regarding the methodological design, the work rests on a qualitative design, based on the collection and analysis of data from both secondary and primary sources. However, among the latter, unstructured interviews with key informants who work as officials of the provinces of Santa Fe, Córdoba, as well as from the Argentine Foreign Ministry, stand out.