Re: [ga] A Monroe Doctrine for the Internet

[Danny Younger <dannyyounger@xxxxxxxxx>]

brink·man·ship -- The practice, especially in
international politics, of seeking advantage by
creating the impression that one is willing and able
to push a highly dangerous situation to the limit
rather than concede.

There are times when it is easy to confuse
brinkmanship with arrogance.  

As ultimately some entity needs to be charged with
stewardship of the root, the question that we should
really be asking is this:  "has the current steward
been so derelict in its duties that a redelegation of
stewardship is required?"

If the answer is yes, then it would be appropriate to
list those grievances that demonstrate that said
entity has not appropriately served as trustee, and
has in fact defaulted on its duty to the community.

Has the steward failed to be equitable to all groups
that request domain names?  Has the steward failed to
do a satisfactory job of ensuring the operation of the
DNS?

As for me, while I can find some reasons for
dissatisfaction with the current administration of the
root, I cannot find a sufficient number of convincing
reasons to delegate the stewardship of the root to an
entity other than its current steward.










--- Richard Henderson <richardhenderson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

> Thank you for this link:
>
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/domainname/USDNSprinciples_06302005.htm
> 
> "Given the Internet's importance to the world's
> economy, it is essential
> that the underlying DNS of the Internet remain
> stable and secure. The United
> States ... will therefore maintain its historic role
> in authorizing changes
> or modifications to the authoritative root zone
> file."
> 
> This is arrogant and an insult to all the other
> countries of the world. It
> implies that the US's sole oversight of key DNS
> functions is justifiable
> because sharing that role with other countries would
> endanger the Internet's
> stability and security.
> 
> This implication of US superiority in this regard is
> an unbelievable
> unilateral position to take, and shows just how and
> why the US uses ICANN as
> its instrument for retaining control of this vital
> resource that rightly
> belongs to the whole world.
> 
> There is absolutely no reason why oversight of key
> DNS functions should be
> restricted (unilaterally) to a single country. This
> is counter-democratic
> and almost fascist in its leanings. In fact, it's
> imperialistic.
> 
> The truth is that people from all over the world
> depend on the Internet,
> contribute to its building up, innovate its use,
> spend money on it, use it
> for health issues and community issues - and this
> vital shared resource
> needs and deserves truly international oversight.
> 
> It is staggering that US officials could release a
> statement like this one -
> re-asserting ultimate US autonomy over the Net - and
> it appears like another
> example of "Might is Right" and "We'll do what we
> want because you can't
> stop us".
> 
> In the end, I think the world may take steps to
> challenge these assumptions.
> 
> Some terrorists already have.
> 
> You can understand - if not condone - the motivation
> for such reactions,
> when the US claims its own right to "do whatever it
> wants".
> 
> Even moderates in countries all over the world must
> be appalled by US
> stances like this one (as they were by the
> fabrication of claims of weapons
> of mass destruction in Iraq, used to bypass the
> processes of the
> international community and justify the Iraq attack
> - another example of
> "ignore the rest of the world and just do whatever
> we like because we can").
> 
> The US should not be acting like "Big Brother" with
> regard to the Internet
> and its key DNS and technical functions. Surely the
> structures of the
> Internet should be managed and determined by the
> International Community,
> not by a single nation?
> 
> In this shift of power, oversight should once again
> be directed towards the
> ordinary internet users of the world who care most
> for the Net's integrity
> and freedoms. These users are British, Polish,
> Japanese, Brazilian,
> Australian, South African etc etc etc.
> 
> The Internet does not belong to the United States
> alone.
> 
> Yrs,
> 
> Richard Henderson
> www.atlarge.org
> 
> 



	
		
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