You want to make the decision
"before a real discussion about possible errors" emerges? That seems quite
undemocratic and thus contrary to the aims of ICANN.A second thought ... how did
these regional classifications get there in the first place? If you read Edward
Said's "Orientalism", to name the most prominent text,or Benedict Anderson's "Imagined
Communities," you will see an argument for the creation of these categories through
the collective cultural imagination of Western (European) societies in the 15th,
16th, 17th, and 18th centuries as they expanded out into the world and had to make
sense of the differences they found. As the first successful print societies,
their ideas disseminated far and wide through texts such as MAPS, travel accounts
to kings and patrons, epic histories and plays ... and in these texts they drew the
divisions, they drew the classifications and characters of nations and regions.
The technology behind exploration and printing enabled European societies to "map
the world" and label it with names which were loaded with cultural meanings that
had a European bias.
Late 20th century/21st century global culture has moved
far beyond a simple East/West dynamic, but in the ways our nations and regions are
named and categorized, the dynamic still resonates. So I think there is something
to be said for considering the historical origins of our current classifications
as ICANN proceeds in its "naming" process for regions and nations. If for no
other reason, then at least as a reminder of the power behind the "naming" process.
Moving from that point, I think it is important to keep in mind the power source
behind ICANN's existence ... which is the U.S. government. The U.S. government
still must approve what ICANN decides and though it is usually hands-off, we have
seen the U.S. government jump in quickly when it disagrees with ICANN activities.
I am not suggesting that this is a bad thing. But I think ICANN is in an extremely
powerful postion to be deciding how to designate the virtual location of a people.
What currently generates the power and authority of ICANN (as it is not yet credible
on its own) should not be forgotten as we actively shape the new virtual space -
the 21st century space of power? - by deciding where this country should go and where
that country should go.