[governance] Triangular and Variable Geometry in Internet Governance

[Bertrand de La Chapelle]

Jovan, you wrote :

"Last February, in Malta, Bertrand and I tried to draft some ideas by
applying the TCP/IP analogy to IG. I will try to dig it out. Bertrand, if
you have that draft, please contribute."

Thanks for remembring the discussion in Malta on that idea. Unfortunately I
do not have the notes handy. Will try to dig them out but might be
complicated.

Still, I have been thinking a bit further since then on that track. The
notion of an Internet Governance Protocol (or set of protocols) could
allow distributed and heterogeneous Governance frameworks to interoperate as
a unified Global Internet Governance Architecture. It would serve the same
purpose as the TCP/IP protocol that allowed heterogeneous networks to
operate as a single one, the Internet, or the HTTP and HTML Protocols that
allowed, in the very terms of Tim Berners Lee : "every information syctem to
look like it is part of an imaginary information system anyone can read".

Would be very happy to explore it further with you and others that might be
interested.

A more general remark : moving beyond the "Westphalian" approach requires
what could be called a political paradigm shift (expression taken as an
analogy with Thomas Kuhn's scientific paradigm shifts in his famous "The
structure of scientific revolutions"). In the present case, from equal
absolute sovereignty of nation-states to multi-stakeholder governance.

Interestingly enough, some scientific paradigm shifts are exclusive (like
the Copernican paradigm fully displaced the Ptolemaic one) but others are
what I would call "extending" ones : relativity or quantum physics
extended under specific conditions the traditional newtonian mechanics. The
latter remains valid in everyday applications, much slower than the speed of
light or much larger than the atomic scale.

The importance of the analogy is that the political paradigm shift towards
multi-stakeholder governance is likely to be of the second form : existing
governance frameworks (including national structures) remain fully valid for
traditional issues that are geography-bounded; but in order to address
issues - like Internet Governance - that are particularly transnational,
multi-stakeholder, multi-level and non linear, the multi-stakeholder
paradigm will progressively enhance the present tools and introduce means to
involve other actors than the governments. This includes, as Avri and Karl
have mentionned, individuals, who should have the right to participate, in
an appropriate manner, in the governance processes dealing with the issues
they are concerned with or impacted by.

Finally, the Global Internet Governance Architecture, however it may
structure itself in the end, is likely to ultimately emerge from the
progressive acceptance by a growing number of structures and organizations
of a common operational protocol. Like the Internet and the World Wide Web
did. Rather a peaceful evolution than a violent revolution, but ultimately a
tidal wave nonetheless.

I just hope we all succeed in designing the system so that evry boat (ie :
every category of stakeholder) gets in the end a better opportunity than
today to have a positve influence and jointly solve the challenges we all
face. What is at stake is not certain categories of stakeholder to the
exclusion of the others - or one other - but ther respective roles and
responsibilities each can play in addressing the technical, social, economic
and political dimensions of a given issue.

Best

Bertrand


On 4/23/07, Jovan Kurbalija <jovank at diplomacy.edu> wrote:
>
> Dear Wolfgang,
>
> I agree that a flexible governance framework is one of the most likely
> developments in the field of IG. It is the only way to accommodate
> diversity
> of issues and players. While states formally stuck to "Westphalia," they
> accepted the reality of the need to involve other actors through informal
> practice (you mentioned in a few articles the practice of "revolving
> doors"
> and "stop-and-go"). Increasingly prominent views suggest that we are
> gradually returning to the "pre-Westphalia" tendency of overlapping and
> sometimes competing authorities.
>
> One of signals of challenges to "Westphalia" is the emergence of "variable
> geometry" governance mechanisms in international affairs. I was surprised
> to
> discover numerous examples of "variable geometry." Some of them reflect
> power and responsibility (Security Council veto powers). Others reflect
> financial power (IMF/WB). Still others were invented to help weaker
> countries (WTO, Rio environmental principle of common but differentiated
> responsibility). Others reflect specific interests (commodity treaties -
> timber-Brazil). The list can continue.
>
> The challenge of IG is to combine "variable geometry" and
> multistakeholderism. How can we involve different actors in discussion on
> different issues in different capacities? At times, the "triangular model"
> may need to be extended (ICANN: governments, business, civil society,
> international organisations, technologists/Internet community,.).
>
> Last February, in Malta, Bertrand and I tried to draft some ideas by
> applying the TCP/IP analogy to IG. I will try to dig it out. Bertrand, if
> you have that draft, please contribute.
>
> We can organise a half- or one-day discussion on "variable geometry' and
> IG
> in late May (before or after the IGF). I have been discussing this issue
> with a few professors from HEI and the University of Geneva, whom we may
> invite. Please let me know if there is an interest for this type of
> discussion.
>
>
> Best, Jovan
>
>
> --
> ____________________
> Bertrand de La Chapelle
>
> Tel : +33 (0)6 11 88 33 32
>
> "Le plus beau métier des hommes, c'est d'unir les hommes" Antoine de Saint
> Exupéry
> ("there is no better mission for humans than uniting humans")
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