This document discusses how information networks and the internet are reshaping world politics. It notes that social media played a role in political mobilization during events like the 2011 uprising in Egypt. However, it cautions against "cyber-optimism" and "social media hype", noting that people, not technologies, drive political change. Authoritarian governments are also becoming more sophisticated at censorship and control of digital networks. If internet governance shifts towards more state control rather than multi-stakeholder participation, it could limit debate and civic engagement online.

1. Networks, Power & States:
Internet reshaping world politics
Yamil Global
South School on Internet Salinas Internet
Governance - Mexico 2011 Martínez Governance

2. January, 2001
Manila,
Phillipines

3. January, 2011
Tahrir Sq. Cairo,
Egypt

4. 2001 2011

5. 2001 2011

6. swarming & the future of conflict

7. information networks
& political mobilization

8. January, 2010
Secretary Clintonʼs
Internet Freedom Speech

9. “As in the dictatorships of the past,
governments are targeting
independent thinkers who use these
tools (...) a new information curtain
is descending across much of the
world.”
Source: “Remarks on Internet Freedom” http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2010/01/135519.htm

10. Internet ecosystem
as a foreign policy tool?

11. International media
“cyber-revolutions”

12. but can social media
make a revolution?

13. Carter
Reagan
Bush
Clinton
Hosni Mubarak Bush
30 years
Obama
in power.

14. 24,8 Egypt pop.
1/3
Less than
median age fourteen years
Source: Wolphram Alpha - CIA World Factbook

15. 100
> 90%
80 Almost 1million
per month*
60
40
> 24%
20
% Mobile Penetration
% Internet Penetration
0
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Sources: Egypt Ministry of Communication and Information Technology http://www.mcit.gov.eg/ (*) Gartner Mobile Device Forecast 2011

16. Jan 27
information blackout
Source: Arbor Networks - http://asert.arbornetworks.com/2011/01/egypt-loses-the-internet/

17. real-life
distributed network
Sources: Baran, Paul (1969) On Distributed Communications, RAND Corporation.

18. 3 final remarks

19. age of “net foreign policy”
state pressure is back.

20. 1
Old ways can make Internet
Governance multi-stakeholderism
fade. Force debate & engagement.

21. avoid cyber-optimism
“Youth of Egypt, beware
rumors and listen to the sound
of reason, Egypt is above all so
preserve it.”
& naivety.

22. 2
Authoritarian governments and
censors can be tech-savvy too.

23. avoid social media hype
& look deeper.

24. 3
Twitter and Facebook donʼt make
revolutions. People do the change.

25. thanks!
http://www.yamilsalinas.net
http://www.pensamientocomplejo.org
Twitter: @yamilsalinas
This presentation is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - Share a like 2.0 generic.
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26. sources
• Al Jazeera
http://english.aljazeera.net/
• Arquilla, John & David Ronfeldt (XXXX) “Swarming and the Future of Conflict” RAND - National Defense
Research Institute http://www.rand.org/pubs/documented_briefings/2005/RAND_DB311.pdf
• Egypt Ministry of Communications and Information Technology - Indicators
http://www.mcit.gov.eg/Indicators/Indicators.aspx
• De Ugarte, David (2009) “El poder de las redes” El Cobre, Madrid.
http://www.lasindias.net/indianopedia/ciberturba
• Clinton, Hillary (2010) “Remarks on Internet Freedom” State.gov
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2010/01/135519.htm
• Arbor Networks
http://asert.arbornetworks.com/2011/01/egypt-loses-the-internet/
• Wolfram Alpha
http://www.wolframalpha.com/