Fragile links, frozen identities: the governance of telecommunication networks and Europe (1944–53)

Abstract

International audience ; During 1944-1953 the governance of international telecommunication networks within the International Telecommunication Union framework became much more permeable to politics than before. The foundation of the United Nations system, East-West tensions, and the early dynamics of European integration were three forces that taken together questioned the traditional vision of technical cooperation among experts. The negotiations among the actors, experts, diplomats and politicians resulted in both the survival of the ITU and a freeze of European contemporary projects building a new European identity upon telecommunication networks.