“Jefferson Rebuffed: The United States and The Future of Internet Governance” is basically a historical footnote to the 2005 WSIS negotiations. It focuses on the ill-fated European proposal to internationalize Internet governance and to curtail the policy-making power of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the corporation currently in charge of Internet naming and numbering. It is the story of a missed opportunity for what could have become a “constitutional moment” in international Internet governance. With its Constitution arguably being the oldest and most enduring worldwide, the United States traditionally has been at the forefront of fostering and advancing constitutional governance structures, at times even through the use of force. Why then, has the United States vigorously opposed the European proposal, with its concept of self-constrained governance in the important context of global information flows?

If you’re curious, have a look at the paper. We examine four sets of potential reasons: federalism, individual rights, public choice, and international governance.

Besides substance, it was a great experience to go through the whole process of publishing in a U.S. law review. If you think your supervisor or professor is picky with footnotes and citations, you haven’t experienced yet the sharp minds and relentless eyes of student editors, detecting all the tiny little flaws and inconsistencies that normally go unnoticed. That was impressive. Would actually be great to have such a free service for one’s DPhil thesis…