International Plug 'n Play? Citizen Activism, the Internet, and Global Public Policy

Abstract

One of the most dramatic changes in world politics has been the rise to prominence of citizen networks. Among the many factors responsible for their emergence are new communication technologies, and in particular the World-Wide Web. Opinions on the nature and significance of these citizen networks, however, are mixed. Some applaud citizen networks as potential counter-hegemonic forces and expressions of democratic participation. Others see them, on the contrary, as undemocratic and largely destructive. Straddling both of these views is a third argument that suggests "real" communities cannot be sustained on the Internet, hence calling into question the long-term viability of citizen networks as actors on the world political stage. To help push these debates further, this article examines the case of the citizen networks that emerged to lobby against the Multilateral Agreement on Investments, focusing in particular on how the Internet played a part in the opposition movement. The case suggests that, contrary to those who see new media as an obstacle to global citizen networks, the Internet and World-Wide Web greatly facilitated their activities. As a consequence, citizen networks will likely continue to grow and expand, intruding into international policymaking processes. The article concludes by examining several global public policy issues that are raised by this shift in the landscape of world politics that will have to be addressed by practitioners of international relations in years to come.

Political Consumerism: Its Motivations, Power, and Conditions in the Nordic Countries and Elsewhere

“…This concern is nurtured by the endless influx of email hoaxes and spam, and the relatively high proportion of spam inquiries in this category questions the assertion from critics of virtual communication that the Internet and email can only promote public gossip and urban legend without mechanisms for source criticism (cf. Ayres,1999;Deibert, 2000). Shortly after the NEE began to spread virtually, it was investigated and confirmed by Shey.Net, a website which assesses the validity of stories (urban legends) sent via email (www.shey.net).…”

Virtuous networks: Machiavelli, speed and global social movements

“…3 See Deudney's (2007) work on what he terms the 'Iron Law of Polis Republicanism' (p. 93). 4 See here Deibert (2000) and Keck and Sikkink (1998). 5 Again, see here Deibert (2000).…”

“…4 See here Deibert (2000) and Keck and Sikkink (1998). 5 Again, see here Deibert (2000). 6 No discussion of the role of digital networks and social media in popular movements in the future will be complete without an analysis of the role of new techniques of censorship and surveillance.…”

The Role of Communication in Global Civil Society: Forces, Processes, Prospects

“…RonaldJ. Deibert, for one, has investigated the use of the Internet to enable transnational lobbying networks opposing the Multilateral Agreement on Investments (Deibert, 2000). Richard Price, similarly, on the subject of international security norms related to landmines, has documented the process in which Internet-based networks have facilitated the kinds of communities and discourses needed to modify (or, using his term, re-socialize) state policies (Price, 1998).…”

“…What has been called the emerging "hypermedia environment" (Deibert, 1997), for instance, involves the absolute and relative growth of personalized and interactive information portals, the rapid growth of transnational communication networks, and a deepening awareness of "the global" as a shared spatial reality. But then to go on to argue that such developments likely will facilitate a progressive GCSinvolving conceptual systems somehow reconstructed through virtual rather than material realities; involving the assumption that the structural power of capitalism will be lessened instead of enhanced; involving the assertion that human identities are ripe for some kind of revolutionary transformation-is itself a dubious proposition.…”