Take your pick of a name for Istanbul: Would you prefer Konstantinoupolis, Islambol, the Poli or even Istanbul-not-Constantinople?

Two recent articles from Al-Monitor sparked a lively debate on whether Gulf Cities have become the new leading centers of the Arab World. While reading the response of Michael C. Dunn, the editor of the Middle East Journal, who argues that “the contrasts between the old capitals and the new, the old culture and the new, are going to be features of the Middle East over the coming generation,” I could not help but ponder on the future of Istanbul in similar dichotomy.

First, it should be noted that global trends suggest an increasing necessity of “paradiplomacy, or subnational foreign relations,” referring to strengthened local power in order to protect cities’ interests abroad. In that light, Rodrigo Tavares praised São Paulo’s acquired global diplomatic power in Foreign Affairs, observing, “The insularity of the Greek city-states is a thing of the past, along with the absolute centralization of power in national capitals.”

This might be bad news for Turkey, where the decision-making process seems as centralized as it could get. According to academic Guven Sak, “Micromanagement is a Turkish trait, embedded strongly in our psyche.” With 60% of cabinet decisions in 2012 made about local construction projects, Sak criticizes the further lack of decentralization as a negative development.