<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>ICANN is part and parcel of the "wider internet ecology" .. you can't have an organization responsible for one of the fundamental underpinnings of the internet not being part and parcel of "the wider internet anything".<br><br>As for the rest of the speculation on motivations, my late grandmother used to say that someone with jaundice thinks the whole world is yellow.  In other words, if you see political machinations behind anything and everything, it is likely that your entire world view revolves enough around political machinations, which tends to confer a sort of tunnel vision perspective, where each and every action is viewed as the symptom of a deep laid political plot.</div><div><br>--srs (iPad)<br><br></div><div>On 21-Nov-2013, at 11:17, parminder <<a href="mailto:parminder@itforchange.net">parminder@itforchange.net</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div>
  
    <meta content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" http-equiv="Content-Type">
  
  
    <br>
    <div class="moz-cite-prefix">On Thursday 21 November 2013 10:57 AM,
      michael gurstein wrote:<br>
    </div>
    <blockquote cite="mid:0e3f01cee67a$8f048600$ad0d9200$@gmail.com" type="cite">
      <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
      <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 14 (filtered
        medium)">
      <style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
        {font-family:Helvetica;
        panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;}
@font-face
        {font-family:Helvetica;
        panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;}
@font-face
        {font-family:Calibri;
        panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
        {font-family:Tahoma;
        panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
        {margin:0in;
        margin-bottom:.0001pt;
        font-size:12.0pt;
        font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
        {mso-style-priority:99;
        color:blue;
        text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
        {mso-style-priority:99;
        color:purple;
        text-decoration:underline;}
p
        {mso-style-priority:99;
        margin:0in;
        margin-bottom:.0001pt;
        font-size:12.0pt;
        font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
p.MsoAcetate, li.MsoAcetate, div.MsoAcetate
        {mso-style-priority:99;
        mso-style-link:"Balloon Text Char";
        margin:0in;
        margin-bottom:.0001pt;
        font-size:8.0pt;
        font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";}
span.BalloonTextChar
        {mso-style-name:"Balloon Text Char";
        mso-style-priority:99;
        mso-style-link:"Balloon Text";
        font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";}
span.apple-style-span
        {mso-style-name:apple-style-span;}
span.EmailStyle21
        {mso-style-type:personal;
        font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
        color:#1F497D;}
span.EmailStyle22
        {mso-style-type:personal-reply;
        font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
        color:#1F497D;}
.MsoChpDefault
        {mso-style-type:export-only;
        font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
        {size:8.5in 11.0in;
        margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
        {page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
      <div class="WordSection1">
        <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Many
            of the actions of ICANN post-Fadi indicate a significant
            shift in ICANN’s positioning within the overall Internet
            ecology—from being a simple player among other players to a
            self-initiated leadership role on behalf of the general
            well-being of the Internet and of the Internet ecology
            overall.  </span></p>
      </div>
    </blockquote>
    <br>
    The question is; how much of it is motivated by, and represents.
    US's geopolitical interests...... US treats itself as the global
    political capital, but is constrained by the UN-ish model of one
    country one vote. (Democracy is always such a nuisance for the
    elite!)... So it has been able to give such a UNish model, which
    stand in its way in terms of legitimatizing global power, the bad
    name of 'multilateralism'. US sees in big business, and the rising
    (upper-ish) middle class of many developing countries (through civil
    society entities most closely connected to these classes), solid
    allies that can help legitimatize its global political power - with
    some concessions thrown at them here and there.. This is why an
    ICANNist 'multistakeholder' model of global governance serves it so
    well. Many recent documents arising from US think tanks show this to
    be a considered strategy of the US establishment ..... The main aim
    of  the current round of engagements around the proposed Brazil
    meeting is to present the ICANN model of governance for substantive
    public policy areas.... Once such a model is established in the
    Internet space, it will be sought to be extended to other global
    policy areas as well... Not that all, or even most, involved actors
    from the I* space are deliberately following such a pre-mediated
    path on the behest of the US. Nevertheless, this strong congruence
    with US's political interests remains a key propelling force that is
    giving energy to the push for ICANN model for addressing global
    Internet related public policy issues. Or in other words, maybe
    giving ICANN a role in te 'wider Internet ecology'. <br>
    <br>
    parminder <br>
    <br>
    <br>
    <blockquote cite="mid:0e3f01cee67a$8f048600$ad0d9200$@gmail.com" type="cite">
      <div class="WordSection1">
        <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"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Many
            are uneasy with this but if ICANN wishes to occupy that role
            (and given their privileged financial position as
            gatekeeper/rent extractor they are in a position to present
            themselves for this) then they have an interest
            in/responsibility for supporting the weakest link in that
            multi-stakeholder Internet ecology i.e. Civil Society.
             Whether or not there is criticism flowing between ICANN and
            CS is overall irrelevant in this larger scheme of things. <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"">
                Suresh Ramasubramanian [<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="mailto:suresh@hserus.net">mailto:suresh@hserus.net</a>] <br>
                <b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, November 20, 2013 2:42 PM<br>
                <b>To:</b> <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:governance@lists.igcaucus.org">governance@lists.igcaucus.org</a>; michael
                gurstein<br>
                <b>Subject:</b> Re: [governance] Networkworld: ICANN
                Sets Up A Coalition to address new Internet governance
                challenges<o:p></o:p></span></p>
          </div>
        </div>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
        <div>
          <div>
            <p class="MsoNormal">The second seems much more sustainable
              long term. Or at least ICANN gets to choose which civil
              society organizations it decides to fund. Funding an
              organization that is entirely at cross purposes policy
              wise with them, and/or seems to feel IG is best served by
              attacking ICANN at every opportunity doesn't appear to
              make as much sense as it should.<br>
              <br>
              --srs (iPad)<o:p></o:p></p>
          </div>
          <div>
            <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><br>
              On 21-Nov-2013, at 0:18, "michael gurstein" <<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:gurstein@gmail.com">gurstein@gmail.com</a>>
              wrote:<o:p></o:p></p>
          </div>
          <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt">
            <div>
              <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:#1F497D">I’m
                    thinking that if ICANN is so concerned to ensure a
                    broad base of interested parties to address Internet
                    Governance issues perhaps it could use some of it’s
                    “tax revenue” as the gate keeper to the Internet to
                    establish a fund to provide a solid and independent
                    base of funding support to help build and support
                    Civil Society in this area rather than, as appears
                    currently to be the case, attempting through
                    (selectively) widening the base of ICANN’s activity
                    (and perk/travel funding) to
                    absorb/incorporate/coopt leading elements of those
                    in Civil Society with an interest in/knowledge about
                    Internet Governance issues.</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
              <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
              <div>
                <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.networkworld.com/news/2013/111813-icann-sets-up-39coalition39-to-276037.html">http://www.networkworld.com/news/2013/111813-icann-sets-up-39coalition39-to-276037.html</a></span><span style="font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif";color:black">
                  </span><o:p></o:p></p>
                <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
                <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Mike</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
              </div>
              <div>
                <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
              </div>
            </div>
          </blockquote>
          <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt">
            <div>
              <p class="MsoNormal">____________________________________________________________<br>
                You received this message as a subscriber on the list:<br>
                    <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:governance@lists.igcaucus.org">governance@lists.igcaucus.org</a><br>
                To be removed from the list, visit:<br>
                    <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.igcaucus.org/unsubscribing">http://www.igcaucus.org/unsubscribing</a><br>
                <br>
                For all other list information and functions, see:<br>
                    <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://lists.igcaucus.org/info/governance">http://lists.igcaucus.org/info/governance</a><br>
                To edit your profile and to find the IGC's charter, see:<br>
                    <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.igcaucus.org/">http://www.igcaucus.org/</a><br>
                <br>
                Translate this email: <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://translate.google.com/translate_t">http://translate.google.com/translate_t</a><o:p></o:p></p>
            </div>
          </blockquote>
        </div>
      </div>
    </blockquote>
    <br>
  

</div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div><span>____________________________________________________________</span><br><span>You received this message as a subscriber on the list:</span><br><span>     <a href="mailto:governance@lists.igcaucus.org">governance@lists.igcaucus.org</a></span><br><span>To be removed from the list, visit:</span><br><span>     <a href="http://www.igcaucus.org/unsubscribing">http://www.igcaucus.org/unsubscribing</a></span><br><span></span><br><span>For all other list information and functions, see:</span><br><span>     <a href="http://lists.igcaucus.org/info/governance">http://lists.igcaucus.org/info/governance</a></span><br><span>To edit your profile and to find the IGC's charter, see:</span><br><span>     <a href="http://www.igcaucus.org/">http://www.igcaucus.org/</a></span><br><span></span><br><span>Translate this email: <a href="http://translate.google.com/translate_t">http://translate.google.com/translate_t</a></span><br></div></blockquote></body></html>