Includes bibliographical references and index.

"The U.S. federal government possesses extensive power to conduct foreign relations, but it is now common for U.S. states to interface directly with foreign sovereigns and their subnational jurisdictions, including by signing written commitments to cooperate on issues ranging from economic development to environmental protection. These commitments seem to carry real benefits for the participants in many cases. By all appearances, they enable states to address governance challenges in ways that would be unavailable without foreign cooperation. This book presents copies of operative commitments from every major executive department and administrative agency in each of the fifty states"-- Provided by publisher.