US Commerce Dept drops a bombshell

[Harold Feld]

You do not understand the mentality of this administration.

The administration has just defined the terms of the debate.  ANY action at
the ICANN meeting and WGIG will only be in response to the US position.  All
other business and means of framing the debate will cease to matter.

Which has the effect of resetting the debate to where it was two years ago.

Further, it is impossible for this administration to be less popular abroad.
It gains no political capital via compromise.

This behavior is consistent with administration action on the Doha
Declaration, the WIPO Development Agenda, and similar venues.  When in doubt,
and when you are losing, forcefully reset the clock and redefine the issues
back to the beginning.

Harold

Quoting Carlos Afonso <ca at RITS.ORG.BR>:

> Milton Mueller wrote:
>
> >>>>Carlos Afonso <ca at RITS.ORG.BR> 06/30/05 4:12 PM >>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>[...]
> >>
>
> >>On the other hand, it is a very concrete counterpoint to the
> >>
> >>
> >icannites
> >
> >
> >>who keep trying to convince us that Icann represents an independent,
> >>autonomous, bottom-up, and above all global organization...
> >>
> >>
> >
> >That's what puzzles me. A better way to discredit ICANN could not be
> >imagined.
> >
> >--MM
> >
> >
> >
> Yes, strange, and at the wrong moment.
>
> --c.a.
>


--
Harold Feld
Associate Director
Media Access Project