Ian Hosein
We often assume that policy and laws are the outcome of national deliberative
discourse. As we have seen with other domains such as intellectual property
and trade, policies that influence privacy and civil liberties are increasingly
resulting from international policy dynamics. This article presents a number
of these policy mechanisms used to take advantage of international dimensions
of our current environment. These mechanisms include policy laundering, modeling,
and forum shifting. Using these mechanisms, policies are being developed outside
of national deliberative fora and then adopted locally in the interests of national
governments. A number of policy instances are presented, tracing the influence
of national and international actors, and the implications for national discourse.
The article concludes with discussion of some implications for an open society.