Mission Possible.

A long-awaited decision by the RF Government to join GAC has come as no surprise – finally, the country’s representative in GAC has been nominated and his powers have been confirmed. Mr. Oleg Chutov, Head of the Department for Scientific-Technological and Strategic Development of the Telecom Sector of the RF Ministry for Telecommunications and Mass Media will henceforward be contributing to the GAC’s activities in his new capacity as Russia’s representative.

Mr. Chutov is an expert with an impressive record in the public service and a substantial background in the telecom area. He has displayed a great deal of expertise with respect to the Internet on the whole and issues of Internet governance in particular. Notably it was him who made a public presentation on Russia’s stance on a possible reform of the ICANN right on the eve of the termination of JPA, and his ideas ultimately well resonated with what was actually decided later by and between DOC and the ICANN. Their nomination is yet another sign of the Ministry’s commitment and resolve in promoting Russia’s engagement in tackling challenges facing today’s Internet.

The newly announced nomination also means that from now on the country will have its say at the reformed GAC. The move also promises yet a greater exposure of the country to the sophisticated art of (Internet) diplomacy and a genuine respect to, and duly consideration of its major stakeholders’ interests, none of which is Russia’s immediate virtues.

Indeed, challenges facing the nation’s representative are fairly profound: he needs to promote Russia’s interests both at GAC and the ICANN and, at the same time, to educate and enlighten those hardliners inside the country who still believe in the US-dominated Internet and strive to counter the “foreign influences”. The newly nominated rep will have to look for potential allies in the GAC to build viable constituencies around critical issues of Internet governance and to seek a right balance between the national interests and those of the global Internet community.

So, the road ahead is a rocky one, and we wish Mr. Chutov every success in his “Mission Possible”.