Michael,
Your editorializing seems at variance with the text. Surely the text
should be read as follows, namely that, at face value, the admission
that the Australian government and others are willing to concede
sovereignty to an international private organization, rather than the
treaty organization model most commonly used for international
agreements gives strong grounds to believe that governments want to find
an efficient compromise between the rule of law, i.e. the de facto
nation state expression of sovereignty, and the borderless economic
advantages of ecommerce enabled by a free internet.
ICANN is by no means the only forum where (liberal) governments have
taken this position and, while it is clear that a sound bite concession
of sovereignty is by no means as binding as one recognised under some
international statute or treaty, it is a freely made concession
deserving of better treatment. (I appreciate it is not clear what legal
basis Mr Twomey has for conceding sovereignty on behalf of the
governments for which he speaks, whether they will formalize this in
some manner, or whether the concession can be equally easily withdrawn).
The interesting thing is that these governments must grapple with the
theoretical advantages of free trade in ideas and goods, to some degree
implying loss of executive control and with further implications for
cultural dilution vs economic gain. It is surely indicative that
Australia, one of the few autarkic nations with no real land borders or
historical cultural relationship with its neighbours should take the
lead in this area. Calls for the disappearance of government from the
process are misplaced.
MM
Michael Sondow wrote:
> Twomey gets eminent world Internet post
> By MARK HOLLANDS
>
> 9feb99
>
> "I am surprised to be asked to take up the position. I see it as a
> coup for the Australian Internet industry and current government
> policy," he said.
>
> [Translation: "We've got government censorship now in Australia, and
> you're gonna have it soon everywhere else, whether you like it or
> not!"]
>
> The council, which has only an advisory role to ICANN, was not a
> paper tiger, he said. "Its teeth come from the sovereignty of the
> governments that participate on the committee. However, we do
> concede authority to ICANN, which is an international private
> organisation."
>
> [Translation: "With us pushing down from the top, and the ITU
> pushing up from underneath, we're gonna squeeze yer old Internet til
> it busts, har-har-har."]
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