[WSIS CS-Plenary] Condi letter

[Jean-Louis FULLSACK]

Sorry Milton
Mrs Albright's letter,  was only a letter from a (high) representative of an (important) ITU Member -the USA- to the President of the ITU Council. In other words it was an administrative correspondance, while Mrs Rice's letter has a highly diplomatic relevance..  
Best regards
Jean-Louis Fullsack



> Message du 07/12/05 16:30
> De : "Milton Mueller" 
> A : plenary at wsis-cs.org
> Copie à : 
> Objet : Re: [WSIS CS-Plenary] Condi letter
> 
> [Please note that by using 'REPLY', your response goes to the entire list. Kindly use individual addresses for responses intended for specific people]
> 
> Click http://wsis.funredes.org/plenary/ to access automatic translation of this message!
> _______________________________________
> 
> Adam:
> Secretary of State Madeline Albright sent a famous cable to ITU in 1996 when ITU was attempting to privatize DNS and create its own version of ICANN at the expense of USG and VeriSign (then NSI).
> 
> The creation of ICANN in 1997-98 involved the highest levels of the USG - the process was run personally by White House advisor Ira Magaziner, as you know well. 
> 
> Thus, I don't find it surprising or disproportionate at all for Condi to be sending a letter to the EU after the EU split with the US in WSIS. There was a great deal of concern among the relevant business and governmental interests. 
> 
> >>> Adam Peake 12/7/2005 6:55 AM >>>
> Why would the US Secretary of State write to the UK Foreign Minister 
> and President of EU about this, was there as any other WSIS issue 
> that caused the US to contact any other govt at this level? I 
> imagine Condi and Jack usually discuss stuff involving billions of 
> dollars, pain, suffering and combinations of same. ICANN just doesn't 
> seem up there as an issue for these two to worry about. So while I 
> like to think Milton's right, I also wonder if we might be missing 
> something.
> 
> Adam
> 
> 
> At 2:04 PM -0500 12/6/05, Milton Mueller wrote:
> >[Please note that by using 'REPLY', your response goes to the entire 
> >list. Kindly use individual addresses for responses intended for 
> >specific people]
> >
> >Click http://wsis.funredes.org/plenary/ to access automatic 
> >translation of this message!
> >_______________________________________
> >
> >I saw this. I think Kieren (the journalist) perhaps overstates the 
> >case when he says this letter "won" the battle. Reading it, I fail 
> >to see any argument that was not contained in the June 30 U.S. 
> >"principles" or in oft-repeated arguments made in WGIG and WSIS.
> >
> >It is also easy to answer these arguments, so perhaps as an 
> >educational exercise I do the following.....this kind of translation 
> >is something that funredes.org won't supply....
> >
> >CONDI:
> >>The Internet has become an essential infrastructure for global
> >>communications, including for global trade and commerce, and
> >>therefore we firmly believe that support for the present structures
> >>for Internet governance is vital.
> >
> >MM:
> >A non sequitur. If it is a global infrastructure, why support the 
> >present structures of unilateral control?
> >
> >CONDI:
> >>These structures have proven to be a reliable foundation for
> >>the robust growth of the Internet we have seen over the
> >>course of the last decade.
> >
> >MM:
> >Factually incorrect. ICANN and the associated apparatus of U.S. 
> >Commerce Department oversight did not exist until beginning of 1999. 
> >Internet grew fast before it, during it, and would continue to grow 
> >without it. There is no demonstrable connection between these 
> >structures of DNS regulation and the overall growth of the Internet, 
> >which is driven by the incredible value and efficiency of 
> >applications such as email, web-based content and services, etc.
> >
> >CONDI:
> >>The Internet will reach its full potential as a medium and
> >>facilitator for global economic expansion and development in
> >>an environment free from burdensome intergovernmental
> >>oversight and control.
> >
> >MM:
> >True, burdensome oversight and control is to be avoided, but this is 
> >true whether the control is intergovernmental, uni-governmental, or 
> >the private restrictions of the sort imposed by ICANN.
> >
> >CONDI:
> >>The success of the Internet lies in its inherently
> >>decentralized nature, with the most significant growth
> >>taking place at the outer edges of the network
> >>through innovative new applications and services.
> >>Burdensome, bureaucratic oversight is out of place in an
> >>Internet structure that has worked so well for many
> >>around the globe.
> >
> >MM:
> >Great, so when do we get rid of the U.S. Commerce Dept?
> >
> >CONDI:
> >>We regret the recent positions on Internet governance(i.e.,
> >>the "new cooperation model") offered by the European
> >>Union, the Presidency of which is currently held by the United
> >>Kingdom, seems to propose just that - a new structure of
> >>intergovernmental control over the Internet.
> >
> >MM:
> >Translation: What, other governments besides us should be involved?
> >
> >CONDI:
> >>The four principles the United States issues on June 30, 2005,
> >>reinforce the continuing U.S. commitment to the Internet's security
> >>and stability,
> >
> >MM:
> >...as long as we get to define "security and stability" unilaterally...
> >
> >CONDI:
> >>including through the historical U.S. role in authorizing changes or
> >>modifications to the authoritative root zone file.
> >
> >MM:
> >A function which contributes absolutely nothing to the overall 
> >stability of the Internet, and indeed seems to foment the creation 
> >of alternative and potentially fragmentary arrangements...
> >
> >CONDI:
> >>At that time, we also expressed our support for ICANN as
> >>the appropriate private sector technical coordinator of the
> >>Internet's domain name and addressing system.
> >
> >MM:
> >...as long as "private sector" means a huge dose of the U.S. 
> >Executive branch....
> >
> >CONDI:
> >>We believe that ICANN is dedicated to achieving broad
> >>representation of global Internet communities and to developing policy
> >>through consensus-based processes.
> >
> >MM:
> >Every once in a while, however, ICANN, VeriSign and the Commerce 
> >Department have to go off and settle the real issues on our own. 
> >After we do that, we'll come to you for "consultation."
> >
> >CONDI:
> >>We have also expressed our interest
> >>in working with the international community to address legitimate public
> >>policy and sovereignty concerns with respect to country code top-level
> >>domains (ccTLD).
> >
> >MM:
> >So we can thereby recreate on the global internet a set of national 
> >monopolies comparable to the post, telegraph and telephone 
> >monopolies that kept us all happy for 100 years.
> >
> >>We wish to underscore that, in our statement of June
> >>30, we supported ongoing dialogue on issues related to Internet
> >>governance across international forums.
> >
> >Translation: talk all you like, we ain't changing anything unless 
> >you force us to....
> >
> >CONDI:
> >>The United States and the European Union have long worked
> >>together toward the goal of global access to the Internet.
> >
> >MM:
> >Of course, we've quarrelled a bit along the way, with us insisting 
> >that the access come through American ISPs and you insisting that we 
> >slow everything down so you can catch up.
> >
> >CONDI:
> >>The WSIS offers us the opportunity to reaffirm our partnership
> >>to spread the benefits of the Internet globally. At the same time,
> >>the security and stability of the Internet are essential to the
> >>United States, the European Union, and to the world. We firmly
> >>believe that the existing Internet system balances
> >>the stability and security we need with the innovation and dynamism
> >>that private sector leadership provides.
> >
> >MM:
> >Just in case you're brain dead, this means that we choose when and 
> >how governments are involved, and when and how the private sector is 
> >involved. OK?
> >
> >
> >_______________________________________________
> >Plenary mailing list
> >Plenary at wsis-cs.org 
> >http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/plenary 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Plenary mailing list
> Plenary at wsis-cs.org
> http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/plenary
> 
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman-new.greennet.org.uk/pipermail/plenary/attachments/20051207/70f23a0d/attachment.htm