[governance] FW: [IP] India proposes UN "takeover" of Internet

michael gurstein gurstein at gmail.com
Sun Oct 30 23:47:23 EDT 2011


+1
 
M

-----Original Message-----
From: governance at lists.cpsr.org [mailto:governance at lists.cpsr.org] On Behalf
Of Jeremy Malcolm
Sent: Monday, October 31, 2011 3:09 AM
To: Milton L Mueller
Cc: governance at lists.cpsr.org
Subject: Re: [governance] FW: [IP] India proposes UN "takeover" of Internet


On 10/31/2011 02:47 AM, Milton L Mueller wrote: 



we might still expect that its policies may be "somewhat less bad than the
status quo". But because of its multi-stakeholder character, we can hope for
much more: that civil society will finally have a and positive real impact
on policies such as those that are being developed right now, outside of any
transnational multi-stakeholder framework, that are destroying the Internet
as we know it. 

[Milton L Mueller] This statement re-convinces me that you don't have a good
grasp of the political realities. Sorry. 

First, give me an example of what specific policies would be better if the
UN were involved and the number of states were broadened. Just one would do.




There is a whole literature full of examples.  Internet governance as a
field of study in international relations is based around regime theory.  It
is fundamental to this theory that states will come together and cooperate
in a regime even where this does not always coincide directly with their
domestic interests.  The existence of the regime itself has a value which
counterbalances domestic considerations.

I won't go into the theory here because you probably know it better than me,
and as far as the specific examples you've asked for I can only speculate,
but don't consider it implausible that if a new instrument were agreed that
outlawed state-sponsored cyberterrorism, this would influence domestic
policy on its use amongst member states - just as the Chemical Weapons
Convention has done.

Let me be frank.  I don't like the CIRP proposal as it exists now.  It has
major problems.  One of those you've raised yourself, that governments are
represented twice - once on their own account, and again through the
intergovernmental advisory group.  We would need to do a lot to get this
proposal into shape.

Ideally, I think we should be asking that each of the advisory groups should
have a veto of any recommendation that goes forward.  (In a way, this is a
variation of the consociational model that I advocated in my doctorate and
since.)  This will narrow the range of issues on which the CIRP can produce
recommendations, but it will also avoid the worst dangers of this new body
producing a rights-infringing document on Internet security or the like.

But if we are to advocate for such changes, we need to avoid throwing up our
hands and dismissing the CIRP proposal as a matter of principle.  That is
why I have focussed my energies so far on comparing the potential of this
proposal, done right, to the inadequacies of the status quo.  It is not that
I am blind to its deficiencies, but that I fear others will be blind to its
promise if they reject it too readily.

+5c to Lee McKnight's last mail.


-- 


Dr Jeremy Malcolm
Project Coordinator 
Consumers International
Kuala Lumpur Office for Asia-Pacific and the Middle East
Lot 5-1 Wisma WIM, 7 Jalan Abang Haji Openg, TTDI, 60000 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia
Tel: +60 3 7726 1599

Consumers International (CI) is the world federation of consumer groups
that, working together with its members, serves as the only independent and
authoritative global voice for consumers. With over 220 member organisations
in 115 countries, we are building a powerful international movement to help
protect and empower consumers everywhere. 
www.consumersinternational.org <http://www.consumersinternational.org/> 
Twitter @Consumers_Int <http://twitter.com/Consumers_Int> 



Read our  <http://www.consumersinternational.org/email-confidentiality>
email confidentiality notice. Don't print this email unless necessary.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.igcaucus.org/pipermail/governance/attachments/20111031/03a02cb3/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
____________________________________________________________
You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
     governance at lists.cpsr.org
To be removed from the list, visit:
     http://www.igcaucus.org/unsubscribing

For all other list information and functions, see:
     http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance
To edit your profile and to find the IGC's charter, see:
     http://www.igcaucus.org/

Translate this email: http://translate.google.com/translate_t



More information about the Governance mailing list