Study of regional and local initiatives developed in Colombia in the area of foreign policy and/or international management (cases of Bogotá-Cundinamarca, Medellín-Antioquia and the Colombo-Ecuadorian zone).

This research is pertinent for several reasons. In the first place, it makes it possible to fill a gap in academic research on foreign policy, that is, to clearly record the existence of processes that have been called parallel diplomacy and the way in which they are linked to the formulation and design of foreign policy. . As previously indicated, there are few studies, information bases, and evidence collected in the framework of a formal investigation that can describe and explain the phenomenon with certainty.
Secondly, this research allows us to recognize and identify a phenomenon with great implications for the future of the country. In this sense, there is talk of the recognition of the importance of territories establishing international insertion strategies as an instrument for the development of their communities. If there is a concrete and real phenomenon, it will be possible to advance in the possibility of creating the necessary channels and instances to channel these initiatives. For this reason, regions have been selected, in terms of Boisier, that are considered economically dynamic, organized, that have identified their potential and needs in the face of the challenges of globalization.
Thirdly, this research contributes directly to the purpose of the Colombian Foreign Policy Observatory – OPEC-. As stated in the line of research:
The Observatory intends to carry out, in a judicious and systematic way, the analysis and assessment of the decision-making processes by those responsible for preparing, coordinating and executing the State's foreign policy. In this sense, this study covers a wide range of topics, levels and actors[...], which overlap and intertwine with the usual domestic policy concerns of States. This means that the State must be valued, not as a "sole and rational actor in the international system", but as the point where the various visions of national interest generated within it converge and from which its relationship with the external environment is defined.
In the same way, in the meetings of the study group there have been continuous reflections on the foreign policy formulation process. We have highlighted that decisions are usually made by a small group of people within the State, which has given rise to the analogy of the “black box” of foreign policy. The legislature plays a discreet role in overseeing the international actions of the State and public opinion has generally been absent from the national debate, either due to ignorance or indifference.