[WSIS CS-Plenary] accreditation of Human Rights in China

[carlos a. afonso]

We are in agreement, Milton.

frt rgds

--c.a.

-----Original Message-----
From: "Milton Mueller" <mueller at syr.edu>
To: <plenary at wsis-cs.org>
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 10:34:56 -0400
Subject: Re: [WSIS CS-Plenary] accreditation of Human Rights in China

> 
> Carlos:
> My words were not clear. Let me clarify.
> 
> Of course every CS organization at some point or another criticizes
> some state policy. However, the minds of governmental and
> inter-governmental people work somewhat differently. They see an
> organization specifically targeted at a particular state as somehow
> calling into question the legitimacy of the entire state, and since
> the
> UN is a "club" of recognized states they may not be as receptive to
> this
> case as they might otherwise be. 
> 
> I wish to make it clear that I do NOT share or endorse that attitude,
> I
> am simply saying that it is there, esp in developing countries. (I
> ran
> into this attitude several times yesterday in discussing the HRIC
> incident with people from IOs and other states.) To make the
> statement
> convincing you may need to keep in mind that those attitudes are in
> the
> minds of many of the people who will be reading the statement. If you
> don't address them in some way they may not be convinced or moved.
> That
> is all. 
> 
> I hope no one in CS uses this warning as an opportunity to strike a
> "holier than thou" posture. Let's not waste time on that. It should
> be
> easy for us to agree that the treatment afforded HRIC was
> discriminatory
> and inappropriate. If these warnings of mine get in the way of that
> then
> ignore them.