ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a brief overview of the background to global Internet governance. Internet governance is particularly interesting because it developed in an organic fashion-prior to any real comprehension of its future significance. The relatively apolitical bubble, in which these governance practices and mechanisms grew, allowed for some innovation that could potentially be applied elsewhere. Understanding the challenges and opportunities that arose along the way offers lessons for the governance of other complex, rapidly evolving issues. This chapter outlines some of the key historical contestations about who should govern this space and what constitutes legitimacy in Internet governance. Following this is a discussion of contemporary debates through which actors and interests jostle for prominence through the promotion of ideological and normative positions. Finally, the chapter touches on some of the emerging issues that are likely to shape Internet governance in coming years.
