Constructing international relations: The role of transnational migrants and other non‐state actors

Abstract

This article explores the relationship between states and transnational movements of people through the trope of diplomacy. A standard definition of diplomacy is the conduct of negotiations between nations. From the normative perspective, international migration lies within the jurisdiction of diplomacy—often precipitating diplomatic crises—but is not usually viewed as constitutive of diplomatic relations. Likewise, such migration is widely acknowledged as structured by colonial and neocolonial ties but is not often construed to structure, produce, or reproduce these ties. Lastly, diplomacy is generally seen as the domain of state agents or diplomats. What about non‐state actors such as migrants and even tourists? Can they also be agents in the construction and exercise of international relations? I will argue that transnational actors actually construct and affect the relationships between states, but that these relations have not been developed fully.