[discuss] cgi.br release regarding Brazil Global MSM on Internet Governance

Mon Jan 13 15:04:47 UTC 2014

>Even though Parminder won't have the resources to block the US bully,
>I support his obstination to reveal the cunning ICANN strategy, or
>opportunism, for grabbing control of the São Paulo show

Then we really need to part ways here, Louis.
Your analysis of the political situation is just wrong. The appeal to habituated "US bully" emotions is intellectually lazy, and using that to create a stampede of sectarian stragglers is an act of self-righteous defeatism.

We have here an unprecedented reform opportunity. While not perfect, it is as good as we are likely to get in the next, oh, decade or two. The standard forms of US pre-eminence are on the defensive, but people are also questionining state-centric solutions. People from a variety of sectors are seriously thinking about global nstitutional frameworks. The technical community, which as you have seen on this list is often utterly clueless about global governance and what it means, seems sincerely willing to cooperate with other forces for a change. 1net has kept its promises about letting sectors pick their own reps. Blaming the disunity of CS (and business!) on a cunning ICANN strategy seems ridiculous to me.

I am not naïve about this: yes, ICANN as an institutional player can and will look out for its own organizational interests. So will the RIRs, ccTLDs, etc. I know this better than you, actually, because I engage with the institutional IG environment not just with email lists. Yes, the USA,  - and Brazil , and all other nation-states - will look out for their own parochial interests. Still, the current environment, in which states and ICANN balance each other somewhat and both sides have incentives to achieve legitimacy by being inclusive, has some potential. I think you insult our Brazilian colleagues when you talk about ICANN grabbing control of their meeting.

I defy you to come up with a feasible scenario for reform and legitimation that is better than the current one. A feasible option does _not_ in my opinion mean having "our own meeting." Such a meeting, held in isolation from the ICANN regime and from Brazil and the governmental entities it can bring to the table, would be pointless.

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