[lac-discuss-en] Fwd: The European Union on Internet Governance

[Carlton Samuels]

See the link to the European Union latest on Internet Governance.
http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/internet_gov/docs/communication/comm2009_277_fin_en.pdf

"Users will also inevitably turn to their governments if there is any
major national disruption to their Internet service, and not to the
various Internet governance bodies responsible for coordinating
resources."

Recall the proposal for a "Big 12" oversight board for ICANN by the EU
in replacement of the US-only JPA arrangement?  The line I quoted is
the strongest justification they use to make the case.  Only trouble
is the rest of us remain invisible.

Back in the day when piracy was a noble profession and under the
protection of the state, a row developed between Spain and Portugal on
sharing the spoils of "discovery".  So the Pope - yes, the Vicar of
Rome - got them together and issued a Bull - the so-called Treaty of
Tordesillas.  This treaty set a line "270 leagues West of the Azores"
and declared any "findings" West of that line as automatically
Portuguese and East of that line, Spanish. This is how Brazil ended up
with the Portuguese influence.

A most annoyed to be left out French King, if memory serves one
Francis I, was alleged to have remarked of the deal "Am I not a
Christian and a Prince"?   The poor benighted Somalis are about what,
600 years late!  And folks are still hard at work to keep some of us
-and so-called civil society - on the periphery.

The lessons we learn from history..............

Carlton Samuels
The University of the West Indies