[governance] Defund the ITU petition

[Louis Pouzin (well)]

On Sun, Feb 10, 2013 at 8:54 PM, Carlos A. Afonso <ca at cafonso.ca> wrote:

> ...and let us remind ourselves that *we still need the ITU* !!
>
> --c.a.
>
> ------------
> C. A. Afonso
>
> - - -

Hi,

The USG plays this defunding game with UNESCO when it does not like a vote
of the UNESCO members. This is presently the case because Palestine was
admitted as member in 2011. As was predictable UNESCO had to reduce its
budget, partly in reducing staff, partly in cutting funds for development
projects, that is reducing its global activities. Victims are primarily
developing countries. Is the USG expecting that they will vote in US favour
on the next occasion ?

When developing countries need funding, where could they get some ? China
or Saudi Arabia are more than willing to "help", in return for some
political and commercial deals.

Anyway, the defund-the-ITU petition collected hardly 3% of the 25000
signatures needed for taking off. A non event by world standard, but a
success by US lobbies standards. They got unending publications references
in Google, quoting over and again the petition propaganda. Of course the
flop does not matter, the goal was massively funded noise.

Btw, one may appreciate Google's algorithm relevance, which makes the
petition (and Google's own position) an overwhelming noise, while non
aligned viewpoints make a tiny signal with only two references:

http://www.abiresearch.com/blogs/demystifying-itus-role-internet-governance/

http://www.internetgovernance.org/2013/01/28/lets-keep-this-dead-horse-alive-so-we-can-beat-it-some-more/

Louis
- - -

>
>
> -------- Original message --------
> From: Milton L Mueller <mueller at syr.edu>
> Date: 10/02/2013 17:28 (GMT-03:00)
> To: governance at lists.igcaucus.org,Bill Woodcock <woody at pch.net>
> Subject: RE: [governance] Defund the ITU petition
>
>  Considering all the ways in which the US govt (involuntarily) collects
> tax monies and uses them in ways that oppose my interests, the ITU budget
> is a rounding error. ****
>
> ** **
>
> Cannot speak for Adam, but perhaps he was concerned about the
> hyperventilated and distorted manner in which the defund the ITU campaign
> is being carried out. The degree to which the US (and other countries)
> continue to financially support the ITU (and other UN agencies) is a
> legitimate topic of debate and discussion. Indeed, I would like to see a
> calm and pragmatic discussion of what people see as the future role of the
> ITU, and am perfectly willing to entertain “no role” or “a dramatically
> reduced role” as a debatable option. But let’s carry out the discussion in
> a less polarized way, and one that pays attention to basic facts about
> geopolitics and intergovernmental relations.  ****
>
> ** **
>
>
>
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