[CCWG-ACCT] Follow-up from the Word Internet Conference in China

Mon Dec 28 16:59:25 UTC 2015

On Dec 28, 2015 4:00 PM, "Roelof Meijer" <Roelof.Meijer at sidn.nl> wrote:
>
> I am getting rather worried about what some (unwanted) the implications of
> empowering the community through the CCWG proposals might actually be, if
> I (try to) follow the reasoning of Phil and Paul. There seems to be so
> much time in the community to ³chase every rabbit² on the basis of all
> kinds of assumptions
>

SO: You can say that again, post transition there is going to be a lot of
bosses within the community. The unfortunate thing is just that they will
be acting on behalf of the entire community. I hope that we will have so
much time to identify those acts within the community as much as we have
committed to identifying every mistake/error (including those far fetched)
of the board/staff.

> Like Avri, I fail to understand the crisis over this. And I agree with
> Tijani when he says:  "Fadi Chehadé would never accept anything that leads
> to an intergovernmental Internet Governance; at the contrary, I think it
> is a way to reinforce the MSM in the advisory committee, and in the World
> Internet Conference². When making assumptions, let¹s at least take one¹s
> track record into consideration.
>
SO: In this process, the goal for some is not about building a better
ICANN, but about building a breakable ICANN. Even though I don't agree with
a number of board's comment on the CCWG latest draft, I can say I have come
to understand why they commented the way they did.

Regards
>
> Cheers,
>
> Roelof
>
>
>
>
> On 25-12-15 16:33, "accountability-cross-community-bounces at icann.org on
> behalf of Paul Rosenzweig"
> <accountability-cross-community-bounces at icann.org on behalf of
> paul.rosenzweig at redbranchconsulting.com> wrote:
>
> >We must live in a bit of a different world, I think. Where I come from,
> >any
> >public official (and let's not kid ourselves -- that is what Fadi is) who
> >did what Fadi did would be subject to discipline if not removal.  While
> >acting in a public role, the official has no private capacity -- none at
> >all.  At least in the world I inhabit that prohibition is so stringent
> >that
> >it applies even to actions that would be (under any reasonable test) so
> >clearly distinct that the likelihood of confusing the public role with
the
> >private role was virtually non-existent.
> >
> >For a particularly telling recent example of this, consider this story:
> >
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/meet-the-author-of-the-reve
> >na
>
>nt--except-you-cant-because-of-his-federal-job/2015/12/22/32d632fe-a5c5-11
> >e5
> >-ad3f-991ce3374e23_story.html.  A minor Federal official wrote "The
> >Revenant" before he joined the government.  Now, the book is a major
movie
> >just released today, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.  In the normal course of
> >events, the writer of the book on which the film was based would be doing
> >publicity for the film.  Here, the author cannot -- because he is a
Deputy
> >Trade Representative of the US.  Now, I don't know about you, but for me
> >the
> >likelihood that people will associate the movie publicity with the USTR
> >office and draw an inference of official US government approval is
> >vanishingly small -- so on the merits I would say that this is a place
> >where
> >the officials private life could diverge from his public responsibility.
> >But as I said, here we are so cautious about even the appearance of
> >impropriety that the author is not doing any public relations for his
> >movie.
> >
> >As others have pointed out for Fadi the possibility of confusion is
> >clearly
> >much higher -- the press and the public will (and have) linked his new
> >"personal capacity" job to his current status as CEO of ICANN -- which is
> >of
> >course exactly why he was hired and exactly what the Chinese wanted.
> >Frankly, as Nigel said, I find his behavior troubling and remarkably tone
> >deaf.
> >
> >I should add that the purpose of the restriction on trading on your
public
> >position works both ways.  We worry not only about the new "private"
> >connection currying favor with public official, we also worry that the
> >official may make decisions in his public capacity that are now to
benefit
> >his future private actions rather than the public interest.  It isn't the
> >connection and the cooperation that is troubling (as Eric notes) -- it is
> >the promise of future employment with unknown benefits that was made
while
> >the public official was still working for the public that raises the
> >questions.
> >
> >Paul
> >
> >Paul Rosenzweig
> >paul.rosenzweig at redbranchconsulting.com
> >O: +1 (202) 547-0660
> >M: +1 (202) 329-9650
> >VOIP: +1 (202) 738-1739
> >Skype: paul.rosenzweig1066
> >Link to my PGP Key
> >
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Nigel Roberts [mailto:nigel at channelisles.net]
> >Sent: Friday, December 25, 2015 5:47 AM
> >To: accountability-cross-community at icann.org
> >Subject: Re: [CCWG-ACCT] Follow-up from the Word Internet Conference in
> >China
> >
> >
> >> Are we tending a bit much toward micromanagement of the CEO?  I have
> >> never been one of his fans, but this seems a bit much to make an issue
> >over.
> >>
> >> avri
> >
> >This is not just a matter of judgment, but a matter of cross-cultural
> >judgment. The CEO gets paid to get this right. And I REALLY expected
> >better
> >from Mr Chehade' in that department
> >
> >Actually, I would not have expected this kind of behaviour from recent
> >previous CEOs.  Certainly not from Paul.  In fact not even from Rod, who
> >  despite his public persona and irritating Hollywood rockstar ways was,
> >in
> >many was, quite sensitive to non-US cultures!
> >
> >In China, relationships matter.
> >
> >Appearance matters. A lot.
> >
> >Both of those things can be as important, if not more important than the
> >'letter of the law' as to whose dime he was on when carrying on the
> >discussion with the relevant actors inside China.
> >
> >The American way (and the British, to a lesser extent) is based on a
> >cliteral interpretation of the rules (with a seasoning of 'wiggle-room'
> >for peccadilloes).
> >
> >So while it's understandable to hear from some of you that you don't see
> >the
> >problem, some of us really, really see a big issue here.
> >
> >I'm not going to complain loudly about the ethics side, although I
> >personally find it curious that Fadi was there on ICANN's dime, yet once
> >again making announcements 'in his personal capacity'.  A CEO can never
be
> >in his personal capacity, in my view until he gets his cardboard box.
> >(It was strange how the reporters describe him as ICANN's CEO, though.
> >Oh yes, that's because he IS. Even yet.)
> >
> >The issue is that the head of ICANN, voluntarily handed in his
> >resignation,
> >choosing to leave early, before transition was complete, and in another
> >revolving-door shocker joined an organisation with an apparently
> >completely
> >different world view, and chose Wuzhen to make supportive statements of
> >them
> >and their backers.
> >
> >Once again, 'it's not what they say, its what others hear'.
> >
> >UK public servants have a purdah period before moving to organisations
> >that
> >operate in the same sphere.  Why, in the name of accountabaility, does
> >ICANN
> >still not? (Have we forgotten and already discounted the terrible optics
> >of
> >Dengate-Thrushgate?). A mere xix months would not be onerous.
> >
> >Please don't dissect Fadi's actual words. They don't count.
> >
> >Hardly at all.
> >
> >It's the nature of 'who', 'where', and 'when' that counts much more than
> >'what', or even 'why'.
> >
> >
> >> '
> >> And with that, I shall stop and simply add -- Happy Holidays!
> >>
> >
> >
> >Likewise.
> >
> >
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> >
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