[governance] USG on ICANN - no movement here

Milton L Mueller mueller at syr.edu
Wed Aug 6 21:49:15 EDT 2008


> -----Original Message-----
> From: William Drake [mailto:william.drake at graduateinstitute.ch]
> 
> I agree with McTim that this name calling is inappropriate,
particularly
> coming from our coordinator, and that it is seriously distorts what
was
> actually said.  Post-JPA has been discussed here before and a number
of

While the epithet "neo-imperialist" may not be a productive way to move
forward, Levine did not just talk about "powerful political forces in
DC," he tried to defend the arrangement, and when asked what value US
oversight added, he replied in a dismissive way that anyone who had been
at an ICANN meeting had to conclude that it needed "adult supervision."
Why is he exempt from criticism here?

> > Might help shift the debate a little if for the next review NTIA
were to
> > hear a LOT more from proponents of change, including a fleshed out
and
> > plausible scenario as to how independence would work geopolitically,
why
> > there'd be no real risk of "takeover by foreign governments," how we
> could
> > have rock solid guarantees of exactly the same levels of security,
> > stability, and control in the last instance as now.   Something that
> would
> If enough people here believe this is a top priority, maybe the caucus
> could
> try to do something productive for a change and develop a compelling
> alternative and promote it in a manner that is politically salient.
Then

That is why, ahem, IGP developed and proposed a workshop on the JPA for
the Hyderabad IGF. Keep in mind that the progression is clear. USG can
start by terminating the JPA, which doesn't cost it control of the root
and still gives it life or death power over ICANN, but ending the JPA
removes the most direct and egregious forms of US intervention. And we
have made very specific proposals as to what conditions would justify
termination of the JPA, although, like you, we are routinely
disappointed with the level of attention those issues tend to draw from
this crowd. 

We can debate more radical independence measures later, after a few
post-JPA years and its review by the IGF....

> Then maybe Milton would have a better chance of winning his $50 bet
with
> me as to whether an Obama administration (inshallah) would do
something in

Well, at least I picked the primary winner correctly. 
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