From: David Conrad [mailto:david.conrad@icann.org]
That is, the phrase "the IANA functions operator
must obey any instruction" is not in the best interests of the security, stability, and resiliency of the Internet's DNS. The "any" part of that must be limited to those instructions that do not have negative impact on the global DNS.
…and this is a more operational way of saying that when a shared global resource is involved, sovereignty is limited, it is not absolute and unrestricted. This is not so unique, limitations or changes in our conceptions of sovereignty are
becoming far more common in the wake of globalization. If a ccTLD’s usage and operation were confined to a national territory then it would be fine for a government to claim exclusive authority over it. But once the shared DNS root zone is involved, you are
dealing with a shared resource and changes might affect other players in the world, including other states. That is how we got the dual trusteeship concept back in 1994; it was clear even then.
Milton L Mueller
Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor
Syracuse University School of Information Studies
http://faculty.ischool.syr.edu/mueller/
Internet Governance Project