AW: [governance] Fall ICANN meeting in Cairo - Rights

[Milton L Mueller]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Adam Peake [mailto:ajp at glocom.ac.jp] 
> there was no support for the proposal.  I hope I 
> am right in saying that in the end even the 
> proposer forgot she/he had proposed it.
> 

That is good news. 

Still, we really need to be aware of the techniques that can be used in
a discussion forum to engage in politics. Since IGF is non-binding and
does not negotiate texts, politics takes other forms. I call it a
politics of agenda-setting. As such, techniques such as forum-shifting,
silencing or pre-emption are all possible and commonly used ways of
getting things off the agenda. 

For example, instead of saying, "I am against freedom of expression, and
I don't want anyone to be able to pressure me on that point in a public
meeting," it is far more convenient to say, "oh, that should be taken
care of in another venue" -- one that is more easily controlled. 


Milton Mueller
Professor, Syracuse University School of Information Studies
XS4All Professor, Delft University of Technology
------------------------------
Internet Governance Project:
http://internetgovernance.org
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