JFC (Jefsey) Morfin wrote: ...I submit that the IETF and the Internet standard process suffer from federalism, and would bluntly develop from confederalism,
Both the American federation and the Swiss confederation leave certain matters
to the (con)federal government: especially foreign relations (liaisons in our case)
and inter-state commerce (cross-Area review).
Obviously this depends on countries and times. The real difference is that the daily sovereignty is with the Federation or with the States of the Confederation. For example, at the UN or ITU the USA have one vote, the Members of Europe one each. This translates into simple daily issues: in the USA the FBI has a Federation-wide jurisdiction (priority?), this would be the same in a Federal Europe. In a confederal Europe (as today) there is no FBI but a coordination of the polices at top level, etc.
A confederal approach calls for architectural issues to be clearly documented and agreed, and a quasi total autonomy of the confedered entities. What means more mutual control. There is no hierarchy but subsidiarity. For the IETF it would mean a documented Internet architectural model serving as clear communications/information support framework, a far more important autonomy but also a far more developed dialog between WGs. A confederal approach would give far more responsibilities to WGs, but also more exposure to their members. What would probably be more motivating should a better press coverage be organized. But it would also permit different solutions to be pursued in parallel. This coopetition could better foster innovation. IESG and IAB would be considered as services to the WG. I know that this kind of concerted relations has no term to describe it in English (French "concertation") and has been imposed in "Eurospeak".
Dictionary.com:
concertation: \Con`cer*ta"tion\, n. [L. concertatio.] Strife; contention. [Obs.] --Bailey.
French
to concert how to independently act in synergy
jfc
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