[governance] National vs. International was Re: Program for IGC at IGF

[Qusai Al-Shatti]

Dear All:
The discussion within this thread indicates that IG is a global issue in the first place and a national issue in the second place. Currently most of the attention is given to the International level were most of our effort have been directed. Yet, we need to make sure that at national level public policy related to IG should comply fully with what is agreed on internationally and that should be through multistakeholder participation. We need to deal with borders and sovereignty as long as there are countries! Many countries (especially developing countries) view IG as and International issue only while on national level it is a matter of resources management. This is why we should focus some of our attention in IG to national.

Regards,,

Qusai Al-Shatti



 --- Message Header --- 

The following message was sent by "Parminder" <parminder at itforchange.net> on Tue, 24 Oct 2006 19:42:43 +0530.

 --- Original Message --- 

>  
> 
> > The reason seems to be that at the national level, there are
> 
> > well-established democratic traditions with free, independent
> 
> > media,
> 
> > well-defined rules for transparency, checks and balances, and
> 
> > accountability of governments to national parliaments.
> 
> > 
> 
> > Much of this is not yet so well-developed at the
> 
> > international level,
> 
> > resulting in an increased success likelihood of the lobbying
> 
> > efforts of greedy monopolistic companies.
> 
>  
> 
> Nobert, 
> 
>  
> 
> So if what you say is indeed true (which I believe it is), then what we
> obviously need is stronger and more clearly defined democratic public policy
> spaces, structures and systems in the global arena as well, which are
> connected to strong systems and institutions for transparency and extracting
> accountability - which include international information sharing processes,
> media, and multi-stakeholder processes of input and participation.. 
> 
>  
> 
> But, the prescriptions you have been offering (very sincere and
> well-intentioned, no doubt) mostly speak only about things like 'light
> weight', multi-stakeholder, 'coalition of the willing' kind of voluntary
> processes, and no-government involvement(mostly), that just do not any way
> meet the criteria of effective democratic public policy spaces..  Systems of
> participation, transparency, volunteeristic multistakeholder systems are of
> little use without effective, sufficiently well funded public policy
> systems. and we cannot be speaking of one without the other. Well, you CAN
> have them, but they may not serve much purpose, beyond some very limited
> avenues of utility. 
> 
>  
> 
> Parminder 
> 
>  
> 
> ________________________________________________
> 
> Parminder Jeet Singh
> 
> IT for Change, Bangalore
> 
> Bridging Development Realities and Technological Possibilities 
> 
> Tel: (+91-80) 2665 4134, 2653 6890
> 
> Fax: (+91-80) 4146 1055
> 
> www.ITforChange.net 
> 
>  
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> 
> > From: Norbert Bollow [mailto:nb at bollow.ch]
> 
> > Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 2:22 PM
> 
> > To: governance at lists.cpsr.org
> 
> > Subject: Re: [governance] National vs. International was Re:
> 
> > Program for IGC at IGF
> 
> > 
> 
> > Avri Doria <avri at psg.com> wrote:
> 
> > > On 24 okt 2006, at 08.39, Ralf Bendrath wrote:
> 
> > > > How do we fend off greed, corruption or particularist
> 
> > interests on
> 
> > > > the international level?
> 
> > >
> 
> > > I think that transparency goes a long way here.
> 
> > 
> 
> > Strongly agreed.
> 
> > 
> 
> > > In the national setting it is very easy for the government
> 
> > to stifle
> 
> > > the press and even the net.  On the international stage it
> 
> > is more
> 
> > > difficult, especially if groups like this keep up the
> 
> > pressure.
> 
> > 
> 
> > My observation here in Central Europe is that the influence
> 
> > of greedy
> 
> > particularist interests seems to be much stronger for policy
> 
> > decisions
> 
> > which are coordinated internationally than for those which
> 
> > are only
> 
> > discussed nationally.
> 
> > 
> 
> > The reason seems to be that at the national level, there are
> 
> > well-established democratic traditions with free, independent
> 
> > media,
> 
> > well-defined rules for transparency, checks and balances, and
> 
> > accountability of governments to national parliaments.
> 
> > 
> 
> > Much of this is not yet so well-developed at the
> 
> > international level,
> 
> > resulting in an increased success likelihood of the lobbying
> 
> > efforts of greedy monopolistic companies.
> 
> > 
> 
> > For an ICT-related example in the EU, see
> 
> > http://NoBananaUnion.com/en/swpat-directive
> 
> > 
> 
> > Here in Switzerland, a very similar process of political-
> 
> > ideological
> 
> > manipulation is at work related to the current revision
> 
> > process of
> 
> > the copyright law, where e.g. the attempt is made to
> 
> > manipulate
> 
> > politicians as well as the general public into thinking that
> 
> > we have
> 
> > to adopt legal protection for DRM systems because of
> 
> > "international
> 
> > standards".
> 
> > 
> 
> > Greetings,
> 
> > Norbert.
> 
> > 
> 
> > 
> 
> > --
> 
> > Norbert Bollow <nb at bollow.ch>
> 
> > http://Norbert.ch
> 
> > President of the Swiss Internet User Group SIUG
> 
> > http://SIUG.ch
> 
> > ____________________________________________________________
> 
> > You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
> 
> >      governance at lists.cpsr.org
> 
> > To be removed from the list, send any message to:
> 
> >      governance-unsubscribe at lists.cpsr.org
> 
> > 
> 
> > For all list information and functions, see:
> 
> >      http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance
> 
> 
 
> 
> > The reason seems to be that at the national level, there are
> 
> > well-established democratic traditions with free, independent
> 
> > media,
> 
> > well-defined rules for transparency, checks and balances, and
> 
> > accountability of governments to national parliaments.
> 
> > 
> 
> > Much of this is not yet so well-developed at the
> 
> > international level,
> 
> > resulting in an increased success likelihood of the lobbying
> 
> > efforts of greedy monopolistic companies.
> 
>  
> 
> Nobert, 
> 
>  
> 
> So if what you say is indeed true (which I believe it is), then what we
> obviously need is stronger and more clearly defined democratic public policy
> spaces, structures and systems in the global arena as well, which are
> connected to strong systems and institutions for transparency and extracting
> accountability - which include international information sharing processes,
> media, and multi-stakeholder processes of input and participation.. 
> 
>  
> 
> But, the prescriptions you have been offering (very sincere and
> well-intentioned, no doubt) mostly speak only about things like 'light
> weight', multi-stakeholder, 'coalition of the willing' kind of voluntary
> processes, and no-government involvement(mostly), that just do not any way
> meet the criteria of effective democratic public policy spaces..  Systems of
> participation, transparency, volunteeristic multistakeholder systems are of
> little use without effective, sufficiently well funded public policy
> systems. and we cannot be speaking of one without the other. Well, you CAN
> have them, but they may not serve much purpose, beyond some very limited
> avenues of utility. 
> 
>  
> 
> Parminder 
> 
>  
> 
> ________________________________________________
> 
> Parminder Jeet Singh
> 
> IT for Change, Bangalore
> 
> Bridging Development Realities and Technological Possibilities 
> 
> Tel: (+91-80) 2665 4134, 2653 6890
> 
> Fax: (+91-80) 4146 1055
> 
> www.ITforChange.net 
> 
>  
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> 
> > From: Norbert Bollow [mailto:nb at bollow.ch]
> 
> > Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 2:22 PM
> 
> > To: governance at lists.cpsr.org
> 
> > Subject: Re: [governance] National vs. International was Re:
> 
> > Program for IGC at IGF
> 
> > 
> 
> > Avri Doria <avri at psg.com> wrote:
> 
> > > On 24 okt 2006, at 08.39, Ralf Bendrath wrote:
> 
> > > > How do we fend off greed, corruption or particularist
> 
> > interests on
> 
> > > > the international level?
> 
> > >
> 
> > > I think that transparency goes a long way here.
> 
> > 
> 
> > Strongly agreed.
> 
> > 
> 
> > > In the national setting it is very easy for the government
> 
> > to stifle
> 
> > > the press and even the net.  On the international stage it
> 
> > is more
> 
> > > difficult, especially if groups like this keep up the
> 
> > pressure.
> 
> > 
> 
> > My observation here in Central Europe is that the influence
> 
> > of greedy
> 
> > particularist interests seems to be much stronger for policy
> 
> > decisions
> 
> > which are coordinated internationally than for those which
> 
> > are only
> 
> > discussed nationally.
> 
> > 
> 
> > The reason seems to be that at the national level, there are
> 
> > well-established democratic traditions with free, independent
> 
> > media,
> 
> > well-defined rules for transparency, checks and balances, and
> 
> > accountability of governments to national parliaments.
> 
> > 
> 
> > Much of this is not yet so well-developed at the
> 
> > international level,
> 
> > resulting in an increased success likelihood of the lobbying
> 
> > efforts of greedy monopolistic companies.
> 
> > 
> 
> > For an ICT-related example in the EU, see
> 
> > http://NoBananaUnion.com/en/swpat-directive
> 
> > 
> 
> > Here in Switzerland, a very similar process of political-
> 
> > ideological
> 
> > manipulation is at work related to the current revision
> 
> > process of
> 
> > the copyright law, where e.g. the attempt is made to
> 
> > manipulate
> 
> > politicians as well as the general public into thinking that
> 
> > we have
> 
> > to adopt legal protection for DRM systems because of
> 
> > "international
> 
> > standards".
> 
> > 
> 
> > Greetings,
> 
> > Norbert.
> 
> > 
> 
> > 
> 
> > --
> 
> > Norbert Bollow <nb at bollow.ch>
> 
> > http://Norbert.ch
> 
> > President of the Swiss Internet User Group SIUG
> 
> > http://SIUG.ch
> 
> > ____________________________________________________________
> 
> > You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
> 
> >      governance at lists.cpsr.org
> 
> > To be removed from the list, send any message to:
> 
> >      governance-unsubscribe at lists.cpsr.org
> 
> > 
> 
> > For all list information and functions, see:
> 
> >      http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance
> 
> 

____________________________________________________________
You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
     governance at lists.cpsr.org
To be removed from the list, send any message to:
     governance-unsubscribe at lists.cpsr.org

For all list information and functions, see:
     http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance