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It is rather well known that multilateral agreements have a greater
chance of being based on higher norms and principles than are
bilateral and plurilateral ones, which are more oriented to narrower
interests (pl refer to the literature on FTAs). Also, almost
always, bilateral and plurilateral agreements based on 'relative
power' results in greater gains for those who are more powerful,
something which follows from the preceding statement. <br>
<br>
Accordingly, while specifics can vary with contexts, global civil
society has to make its considered value based choice whether it
prefers multilateral agreements or bilateral/ plurilateral ones when
the issue is clearly of a global import, like Internet governance
is, perhaps like no other issue. In all other areas of global
governance, I see a distinct preference in civil society for global
agreements in preference to bi/pluri-lateral ones, on issues ranging
from trade and IP to climate. <br>
<br>
While there certainly is this unique context of global IG about the
power of states vis a vis the global communication realm, and the
perverse political incentives than this issue brings in, civil
society still must aim for higher norms and principle based
universalistic agreements over narrow interests based opportunistic
ones. Like Michael, I am surprised and disconcerted that there is
open advocacy in a civil society group against such universalistic
agreements in favour of narrow interests based bilateral ones. The
latter never serve the more marginalised, whose interests
progressive civil society should be representing. <br>
<br>
Remember, human rights instruments are also multilaterally
negotiated texts, something which was done at a time when a much
smaller percentage of countries were democracies then are today! In
fact, I am often deeply touched by the deep value based work that
goes on in the multilateral systems, for instance what I saw
recently at a ECOSOC committee working on access to scientific
knowledge. Such kind of work stands out even more when seen against
the open and blatant private interest based discussions and deal
making that mark the so called loosely structured private governance
systems that dominate Internet governance. <br>
<br>
What is happening at the larger social-structural level, and which I
consider as the greatest threat to democracy, is a clear move from
public governance, based on social contract, to private governance,
based on private, interest-based, contracts. And the shift is rather
systemic. It is obviously strongly supported, in fact instigated, by
global capital which finds the biggest challenge to its domination
of all aspects of our lives in the universal values of equity,
fraternity and solidarity, that underlie public governance systems.<br>
<br>
<br>
parminder <br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On Wednesday 13 March 2013 06:12 AM,
michael gurstein wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote cite="mid:0bc301ce1f83$ac37fbd0$04a7f370$@gmail.com"
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Okay,
let me make sure that I understand you folks… <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">You
are saying that you would prefer to have a bilateral
agreement negotiated behind closed doors between the
plutocrats err… the responsible senior officials in the US
and the high level bureaucrats in China determining who
knows what aspects of the operation of the Internet (perhaps
you can explain to me/us how it will be possible to separate
out "bi-lateral" connections on the Internet from the
interconnections of the "global" Internet) rather than a
multilateral agreement negotiated more or less in public
among all countries where, given the current move towards
"multi-stakeholderism" civil society, the technical
community etc.etc. (amongst others) would have input…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Strange
world you guys live in…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">M<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div style="border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF
1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:governance-request@lists.igcaucus.org">governance-request@lists.igcaucus.org</a>
[<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="mailto:governance-request@lists.igcaucus.org">mailto:governance-request@lists.igcaucus.org</a>] <b>On
Behalf Of </b>Peter H. Hellmonds<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, March 12, 2013 3:22 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:governance@lists.igcaucus.org">governance@lists.igcaucus.org</a>; 'Nick
Ashton-Hart'; 'michael gurstein'<br>
<b>Subject:</b> AW: [governance] China's next-generation
internet is a world-beater - tech - 10 March 2013 - New
Scientist<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"
lang="EN-GB">+1. Right, and sometimes bilateral agreements
between two powers can be much more effective in a
realpolitik sense to achieve desired objectives and are much
easier to negotiate and implement than any kind of global
agreement, which usually would take a decade or two to
negotiate and would be watered down so much that the
initiators would see nothing left of their original intent.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"
lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"
lang="EN-GB">Peter </span><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"
lang="DE"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"
lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div style="border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF
1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""
lang="DE">Von:</span></b><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""
lang="DE"> <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:governance-request@lists.igcaucus.org">governance-request@lists.igcaucus.org</a>
[<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:governance-request@lists.igcaucus.org">mailto:governance-request@lists.igcaucus.org</a>]
<b>Im Auftrag von </b>Nick Ashton-Hart<br>
<b>Gesendet:</b> 12 March 2013 22:17<br>
<b>An:</b> <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:governance@lists.igcaucus.org">governance@lists.igcaucus.org</a>;
michael gurstein<br>
<b>Cc:</b> Peter H. Hellmonds<br>
<b>Betreff:</b> Re: [governance] China's next-generation
internet is a world-beater - tech - 10 March 2013 - New
Scientist<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span
lang="EN-GB">See below<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">-- <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Regards,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Nick <o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Sent from my one of
my handheld thingies, please excuse linguistic mangling.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span
lang="EN-GB"><br>
On 12 Mar 2013, at 17:30, michael gurstein <<a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:gurstein@gmail.com">gurstein@gmail.com</a>>
wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt">
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"
lang="EN-GB">What does occur to me from both of these
however, is that they (together) clearly indicate the need
for some sort of global agreements concerning the overall
governance (development/deployment) of the Internet
(including issues of cybersecurity and content flow) if it
is to continue to operate in an effective and inclusive
manner in the interests of us all…</span><span
lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</blockquote>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">There are plenty of
rules already with respect to the behaviour we are seeing,
and they are rules to which China is a party. For example,
China has obligations at the WTO not to interfere with
advertising, yet, they block ad-bearing services from
outside in order to protect equivalent services (including
ad-bearing services mind you) that are homegrown. There
are also human rights agreements, again to which China is
a party I understand, which obligate it not to do many of
the things it is doing to its citizens.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">There are also talks
going on now in trade that would protect the flow of
information, and quite likely the Internet as a platform,
too.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">This idea that
agreements need to be made in order to prevent certain
states from doing one thing or another is all very nice -
but just because a country signs an agreement doesn't mean
it will implement its provisions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">!DSPAM:2676,513faa9b201487147020512!
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
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