We are structuring the Publius forum around about a dozen topics and asking authors to contribute short (500-1000 words) op-ed style pieces. One essay will touch off a discussion of the various forces, actors, and activities that link to form the “rule-making” architecture of the net. Additional authors will then be asked to contribute companion pieces that may respond to, refute, or develop the central themes or questions raised by the first author. The papers are being released gradually, in multiple settings—online, in print, and licensed with minimal restrictions to maximize dissemination.*

We realize that we are asking authors to reflect on large subject areas in a very limited space. This necessitates a high-level focus and tight scope, with the understanding that no one essay alone can reflect this complex landscape— a collection of dynamic conversations and an iterative process, we hope, will. We invite readers, contributors, and users to get involved in the conversations by contributing to our comments section.**

*All participating authors have granted a non-exclusive license to the copyright in these essays which will allow us to feature the essay here, under a Creative Commons BY license.

**Note: Comments that contain obscenity, excessive personal attacks or threats will be deleted.