[governance] Reconstituting MAG

Milton L Mueller mueller at syr.edu
Tue Feb 12 10:08:38 EST 2008


> -----Original Message-----
> From: McTim [mailto:dogwallah at gmail.com] 
> 1)  I doubt you will get consensus on this list for removing the 4th
> stakeholder group from the MAG (or reducing it).

We are talking about reducing the overall size of the MAG. That implies
reducing the numbers of ALL groups proportionately. Especially govts.
Only civil society, which is currently massively underrepresented, would
not need ot be reduced much, but that is only because they are so small
already. As noted earlier, if I had my way, the MAG would be 15, of
which 3 would be reps of IABs (Internet administration bodies, IETF/W3C,
ICANN, RIRs) and 3-4 civil society. 

> 2) If the IGC does recommend to the MAG to remove the 4th stakeholder
> group, they will ignore this recommendation (and laugh at us).

If we advocate the right thing and have reason and justice on our side
and another group chooses to ignore it, that's on them. Not sure what to
make of this assertion that they will laugh at us. Will they go "nyaaah,
nyaah" and make faces at us too?  Omigod! 

> 3) If we do #2, we risk alienating the "Internet technical community"
> (this is not my term BTW). If they have so much "power", why won't
> they just "take their ball and go home".  They don't need the IGF/IGC,
> but the IGF certainly needs them.

This is a hollow threat. The IABs are crawling all over the Forum and
insisting on padding panels with their reps. They are not about to
leave. 

In truth, each side must be careful not to alienate any other
stakeholder grouping. If govts and IABs drive out CS through
marginalization, the Forum will collapse, lacking legitimacy. CS will
work outside it in protest mode. Same is true of any other pairwise
combination. The Internet administration bodies should be in broad
agreement with us that governments are massively overrepresented. They
should be, and I think are, in agreement that the MAG is too big. Let's
emphasize those points of commonality. 

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