Re: [hrpc] Censorship

[Bill Woodcock <[e-mail]>]

> On Mar 12, 2022, at 8:23 AM, [e-mail] wrote:
> In the mind's eye it seems like someone or some identifiable
> organization must be in charge. The very idea of "cutting off”
> a nation may only exist in that mind's eye. We may be
> debating the merits of a fiction.

Exactly.  There is no authority.  Merely a lot of mechanisms that do different things.  This is a proposed mechanism, which may achieve an end for some people.  Anyone who doesn’t need it or doesn’t like it is free to ignore it.  Criticizing it serves no purpose.  Working constructively to ensure that it functions well is productive.  People who believe civilians should be targets of sanctions are welcome to not use it; if few enough people wind up agreeing that civilians should not be targeted, maybe nobody will be left to maintain the mechanism, and it will fade away and become a footnote in history.

None of this is any different than how the rest of the Internet works.

> Just about all the sanctions are very "leaky". Russian oil
> etc. will be sold, the transactions will be paid for without access to
> SWIFT, etc.
> 
> Making the best the enemy of the good I would argue is a
> terrible and naive debating point. We can't do #2 perfectly so let's
> not try at all.
> 
> No reasonable person expects perfect compliance for any sanction.

Exactly.

> They might reasonably expect a unified statement be made.

Not if they’re familiar with the IG debate club.  But I take your point.  :-)

                                -Bill