[discuss] Transparency and Accountability vis-à-vis ICANN and the IANA functions

Mon Apr 7 19:22:38 UTC 2014

On Mon, Apr 07, 2014 at 07:07:33PM +0000, Milton L Mueller wrote:
> 
> There actually is no such thing as a public interest that is in no one's private interest.  

Depending on how one reads it, that may be going slightly too far, in
that the compromise that gets worked out in a lot of public policy
discussions turns out not to be in any _one_ private interest, but
instead gives a little to various different interests in an effort to
assemble a stable coalition.  (I don't think that "too far" reading is
what Milton meant, but I hate to leave an opportunity for yet another
straw person to be stood up.)

Nevertheless, what Stephen and Milton appear to be saying is what I've
been trying to say when I claim that the public interest on the
Internet emerges from the collection of other interests.  It's not
spooky or mystical, it's just what "public interest" means.

Best regards,

A

-- 
Andrew Sullivan
ajs at anvilwalrusden.com