thank you to essrea cherin and thank you to essrea cherin and bruce shafr narrator: europe is perhapsion most associated with supranationalism-- the voluntary association of three or more countries. one example of supranationalism is the european union-- an economic alliance designed to improve european competitiveness in the world economy. but this alliance is more than just economic. it is also europe's attempt to forge a community with common values, even as individual state identity is maintained. strasbourg is located on the border of france and germany and has endured centuries of conflict between those two nations. today, it is one seat of the european union-- a symbol of modern unity. as political boundaries become more permeable, perceptions of place change as well as deeper, more personal meanings of national identity.

i want just at with you, essrea cherin. why it is you have been pushing for nablus to be the sister city to your city, boulder. >> the reason i have been promoting and working on a sister city relationship is ownarily because of my journey in terms of having spent time in palestine and recognizing the people of palestine are portrayed quite the opposite of how they are in rely. in mainstream media. i will not say on democracy now! but in most media portrayals in the u.s., palestinians are depicted in the darkest of lights. and most people really struggle to even conjure an image of the palestinian person who could be just like you and i. sitting round a table at a tv station in nablus. indeed, they are. in my visit to palestine, it became quite evident to me that the people of the united states need to have opportunities to get to know palestinians. amy: what would it mean to designate2 as an of facial sister city of nablus? >> it is a mere formality. it does not signify much. it is a procedural event so when we apply to ci