ABSTRACT
This chapter shows how information technology (IT) enables networks of nongovernmental organizations to operate less hierarchically and more federatively –in short, as a multi-polar network. It uses the nongovernmental organization (NGO) Coalition for an International Criminal Court (ICC) as a case study in how these networks can function. The chapter argues that IT in conjunction with a more federative and broad-based organization greatly increases the political influence that civil society can have over intergovernmental policy-making. It starts by discussing the creation of the Coalition and the beginnings of an international network of groups and individuals supporting the ICC. The chapter discusses the role of IT during the official treaty conference on the ICC in Rome in 1998. It explores the 'devolution' of the Coalition into more developed and active regional and national networks and closes with some comments on possible lessons to be learned from the experience of the Coalition.
