Capitalizing on national self-interest: the management of international telecommunication conflict by the International Telecommunication Union.

In the early days of telecommunication,' technically advanced nations quickly recognized the usefulness of the telegraph in international commerce. There was, however, a considerable obstacle to the development of the new technology's commercial potential. As one observer of this era of telecommunication history points out, "humanity could not fully benefit from all the miraculous possibilities of the electrical telegraph, that tiny instrument which human genius had just invented, unless it could move beyond the narrow, rigid concept of national sovereignty as something absolute, sacrosanct and inviolate. ' 2 The success of international telegraphy depended upon the cooperation of nations in permitting the orderly flow of telegraphic messages across national borders and in standardizing equipment and rates. The need for international cooperation became even more important when wireless communication came into use. Because electromagnetic waves embodying radio messages travel through the air rather than through wires or cables, radio transmissions are not restricted by the territorial considerations that first prompted international coordination of wire communications. Nevertheless, radio could not be used successfully for such important purposes as maritime safety and international commerce without international cooperation and standardization. Furthermore, even a nation's domestic radio communications can have international ramifications. The physical properties of radio make it difficult to confine transmissions within political boundaries. If the right technical and atmospheric conditions exist, radio waves originating in one country can be received, not just in