<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Hi Milton<div class=""><br class=""><div class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On Apr 5, 2015, at 4:22 AM, Milton L Mueller <<a href="mailto:mueller@syr.edu" class="">mueller@syr.edu</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1;"><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a name="_MailEndCompose" class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></a></div><div class="" style="border-style: none none none solid; border-left-color: blue; border-left-width: 1.5pt; padding: 0in 0in 0in 4pt;"><div class=""><div class=""><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 4.8pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b class=""><span class="" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">From:</span></b><span class="" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> William Drake [<a href="mailto:wjdrake@gmail.com" class="" style="color: purple;">mailto:wjdrake@gmail.com</a>] <br class=""><br class=""></span><o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><div class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i class="">The Initiative will seek to <b class="">complement and support the work of existing Internet governance dialogue </b>and normative processes and institutions, including particularly the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), as well as the technical Internet community. In addition, the <b class="">Initiative will not be a policy-setting body.<span class="" style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><o:p class=""></o:p></span></b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">MM: I understand how the “Friends of the IGF” supports the IGF. I understand how I support it when I attend and propose workshops and participate in its processes. I understand how host governments support the IGF when they provide facilities for its events. But I don’t understand how NMI does. It seems to be duplicating many of the functions and multiplying another process that makes it more difficult for many of us to stay on top of it all. </span></p></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote>I don’t see the duplication, or that the difficulty for you in staying on top of things is a reason like-mineded people can’t collaborate on something. You don’t have to pay attention if you don’t want, it’s mostly stuff you’re not into anyway, e.g. helping developing country actors with non-ICANN issues.<br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class=""><div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1;"><div class="" style="border-style: none none none solid; border-left-color: blue; border-left-width: 1.5pt; padding: 0in 0in 0in 4pt;"><div class=""><div class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">MM: As for complementing, you need to better specify what it is the IGF currently can’t do that NMI does better, how NMI’s structure is better suited to these purposes. </span></p></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote>There’s can’t and doesn’t. I’d have preferred ten years ago that IGF develop the capacities to do these things but it was turned into just an annual gab fest for reasons you are aware of. So doesn’t is the order of the day.<br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class=""><div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1;"><div class="" style="border-style: none none none solid; border-left-color: blue; border-left-width: 1.5pt; padding: 0in 0in 0in 4pt;"><div class=""><div class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i class="">Serve as a<b class=""> neutral clearinghouse</b> for issues, solutions, expertise and resources in Internet governance, and <b class="">provide a platform on which diverse actors can solicit project partners and establish collaborative relationships</b>.<span class="" style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><o:p class=""></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">MM: Seems highly duplicative of what IGF is supposed to do.</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote><div class="">IGF shares info about the IGF process. Fine, but it’s not a place where, e.g., the Chad minister goes for info and connections to build a policy network to tackle spam or whatever at the national level, or get connected to people doing this at the global.</div><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class=""><div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1;"><div class="" style="border-style: none none none solid; border-left-color: blue; border-left-width: 1.5pt; padding: 0in 0in 0in 4pt;"><div class=""><div class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b class=""><i class="">Enable open, inclusive, balanced and collaborative communities to share knowledge and expertise,</i></b><i class=""> leading to best practices, suggestions, innovation and solutions to address challenges identified by the community.<span class="" style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><o:p class=""></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">MM: This language could be drawn directly from the description of the IGF’s mission</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote><div class="">I had a hand in writing the IGF’s mission statement in the WGIG and do not see this. IGF is for open dialogue. NMI is for fostering collaborations between partners.</div><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class=""><div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1;"><div class="" style="border-style: none none none solid; border-left-color: blue; border-left-width: 1.5pt; padding: 0in 0in 0in 4pt;"><div class=""><div class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b class=""><i class="">Facilitate participation</i></b><i class=""> in the Internet governance ecosystem, particularly in the developing world, and <b class="">advance multistakeholder processes at the national and regional levels.</b><br class=""><br class=""></i><span class="" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">MM: Seems highly duplicative of what IGF is doing. Local and regional IGFs, etc</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote><div class="">Multistakeholder processes at the national and regional levels does not mean hold an IGF, it means develop <a href="http://CIG.br" class="">CIG.br</a> type mechanisms for actual policymaking.</div><br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class=""><div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1;"><div class="" style="border-style: none none none solid; border-left-color: blue; border-left-width: 1.5pt; padding: 0in 0in 0in 4pt;"><div class=""><div class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i class="" style="font-size: 12pt;">Promote the application, evaluation, and implementation of the Principles and <b class="">encourage community reporting</b> efforts.</i></p></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1;"><div class="" style="border-style: none none none solid; border-left-color: blue; border-left-width: 1.5pt; padding: 0in 0in 0in 4pt;"><div class=""><div class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span class="" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">MM: The link here to the Netmundial principles seems to be distinct to the NMI, agreed. NMI as promotor of the Netmundial principles would be a potentially unique function.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><b class=""><i class="">Assist developing-country communities, governments and underserved stakeholders by enabling capacity development efforts and in networking</i></b><i class=""> with relevant organizations and processes in order to address gaps in policy development.<span class="" style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><o:p class=""></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span class="" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">MM: In addition to IGF, seems like almost a dozen organizations and government agencies are already trying to do this, ranging from ISOC to HIVOS to US AID. Is your real purpose to promote the Netmundial principles or to be a development agency? Why can’t the capacity of IGF be expanded to do this?</span></p></div></div></div></div></blockquote><div class="">Will not be an agency. A light connector mechanism that on demand helps with contacts and relationship building etc. The other orgs you mention have more narrow missions and outlooks.</div><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1;"><div class="" style="border-style: none none none solid; border-left-color: blue; border-left-width: 1.5pt; padding: 0in 0in 0in 4pt;"><div class=""><div class=""><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span class="" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><o:p class=""></o:p></span></p></div></div><div class=""><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Either way, there's no dastardly plot here to take over the world.<span class="" style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">MM: You’ve often accused critics of NMI of not actually reading what NMI says about itself;</span></div></div></div></div></blockquote><div class=""><br class=""></div>Yes, that and reading what is said through a distorted lens in order to find something to bash due to Fadi fever etc.<br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1;"><div class="" style="border-style: none none none solid; border-left-color: blue; border-left-width: 1.5pt; padding: 0in 0in 0in 4pt;"><div class=""><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></div></div><div class=""><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">A core concern is and always was contributing to capacity building for developing country governments and stakeholders trying to deal with non-ICANN issues.<span class="" style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">MM: you always have a problem explaining why ICANN is leading an entity designed to deal with non-ICANN issues.</span></div></div></div></div></blockquote><div class=""><br class=""></div>ICANN was the catalyst in getting it started. It’s not up to me to explain this and I have never tried. Now that the things is standing up, ICANN is one of three parters in the funding and staff support. Over time I expect/hope that role will transition, I think NMI should hire a couple independent staff and eventually have a budget that’s donated with no strings. <br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1;"><div class="" style="border-style: none none none solid; border-left-color: blue; border-left-width: 1.5pt; padding: 0in 0in 0in 4pt;"><div class=""><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Either people will decide this can be useful and it will sustain a place as a small facilitating connector in complex institutional ecosystem, or they won’t, and we’ll say ok we tried and it’ll drift off, not the end of the world.<span class="" style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></div><div class="" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">MM: Good to see a scaled-back version of NMI.</span></div></div></div></div></blockquote><br class=""></div><div class="">Yes, as I’ve said, Fadi confused the situation for a long time by making loose comments about it providing policy solutions, which sounded to some like he meant it it be a negotiation space that agrees stuff. I spent a half a year telling him he needed to stop this, and inter alia successfully insisted that the staff take off the website loose talk drawn from the Ilves process about solutions meaning policy proposals, draft laws and regs, etc. Drove me nuts. But of course he doesn’t readily take his cues from troublesome CS types and didn’t really take recalibration to heart until it became clear business and tech comm were not going to let that fly and key governments were mightily unenthused as well. So at the meeting last week he was totally focused on making sure the language adopted was clear NMI doesn’t do policy, doesn’t negotiation, and doesn’t do dialogues, which is for IGF. Better late than never.</div></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">In any event, if you too have recalibrated and will now be criticizing per above on the grounds that some functions could be seem as IGF activities (funny to see you extolling IGF virtues given past pronouncements), great, there’s a useful conversation to be had there about how exactly to define the scope in a way that’s non-redundant and really value adding, so helping people involved in NMI to think this through would be constructive.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Cheers</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Bill</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><br class=""><br class=""><div apple-content-edited="true" class=""><div class="" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">*********************************************************<br class="">William J. Drake<br class="">International Fellow & Lecturer<br class=""> Media Change & Innovation Division, IPMZ<br class=""> University of Zurich, Switzerland<br class="">Chair, Noncommercial Users Constituency, <br class=""> ICANN, <a href="http://www.ncuc.org" class="">www.ncuc.org</a><br class=""><a href="mailto:william.drake@uzh.ch" class="">william.drake@uzh.ch</a> (direct), <a href="mailto:wjdrake@gmail.com" class="">wjdrake@gmail.com</a> (lists),<br class=""> <a href="http://www.williamdrake.org" class="">www.williamdrake.org</a><br class=""><i class="">Internet Governance: The NETmundial Roadmap </i><a href="http://goo.gl/sRR01q" class="">http://goo.gl/sRR01q</a><br class="">*********************************************************</div></div><br class=""><br class=""></body></html>