McMillan 8
national executives, this is happening more often, especially with presidents of Mexico
(Interviews with State Officials 2005, 2006; Lindlaw 1999; Marinucci 2001; Powell 2003; Sanko
2003).
A rise of the governors is also illustrated in how governors are received by foreign
dignitaries, such as Colorado Gov. Bill Owens’ 2003 meetings with high-level British officials
which included trade policy discussions (Sanko 2003, 3C). Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has met with
U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair and another governor met with the number two official at the
U.K. Department of Trade and Industry in 2006. But governors are not usually allowed to meet
ministers. Perhaps this is because London knows governors do not represent Washington’s
positions, but only their particular state—a reason for furthering the “special relationship.” One
official notes that national government ministers are not difficult to see in eastern Europe or Italy
(Interviews with State Officials 2006).
Governors have also adapted their institutional structures to reflect these changes. Ryen
(1997) says “the ideal organizational solution for international interaction is bound to vary from
state to state” (526).
One example is California Gov. Gray Davis’s creation of a “secretary of
foreign affairs” in his office (Powell 2003, 12). This official helped organize the first trip by a
Mexican president to the California Capitol and Davis’ meetings with “British, Israeli and Greek
ministers, and Irish, Scottish and Palestinian leaders” on overseas missions (Lindlaw 1999).
During his first year in office, Davis hosted leaders from China, Japan, Mexico and Singapore
and his secretary of foreign affairs visited Mexico more than 40 times in four years—activities
6
A George Washington University survey finds that international relations are seldom managed at the highest levels
of state government. Few states have a high-ranking official who spends much time on international affairs. A
usual practice is for the director of the state department of commerce to supervise international activities, but this
official may have “limited awareness of international activities carried out in other state agencies,” leading the report
to conclude that “state-level international activities are often poorly coordinated across sectors and agencies” (Edisis
2003, 2-3).
Convention