* Going back to basics with identity management using the U.S. government as an example
It’s the silly season here in North America. That is, there are national election campaigns under way in both the United States and Canada. So, in the spirit of turning that lemon into a refreshing thirst quenching drink, we’ll use the U.S. government as a good example of roles and how they work in identity management.
Senators Barack Obama and John McCain both want to become President of the United States (POTUS). That is, those two physical entities want to fill the POTUS Role. We know that POTUS is a role and not an identity because it is defined by rules, and can contain an “actor” (the entity or entities which are inhabiting a role). The rules are laid out in the U.S. Constitution: Article II, Amendment 12, Amendment 20, Amendment 22 and Amendment 25.
The entity is automatically provisioned into the role of POTUS at noon on Jan. 20 following the ratification of the electoral vote in December. And an entity is automatically de-provisioned from the role four years later. It is interesting that only one person can be the actor in this role at any given time, and that there is always an actor in the role – it is never vacant unlike, say, the role of Vice President of the United States which can be vacant (but which also can only hold one actor).
There are many rights, duties and responsibilities attached to the role of POTUS. We know they attach to the role, rather than the actor, because they stay the same no matter who fills that role.
Immediately upon vacating the role of POTUS an entity is placed in the role of Former President of the United States. This role can also be empty or can hold a (theoretically) unlimited number of actors. As I write this, there are three: Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
It is, in fact, possible to be in both roles (POTUS and Former POTUS) simultaneously – Grover Cleveland was the 22nd president, but lost his race for re-election thus becoming a Former POTUS. But he came back and ran again, and won. So he filled the role of POTUS (the 24th President) at the same time he filled the role of former President.
What we should learn here is that while “roles” can be considered similar to physical positions or offices (such as President) they are actually a somewhat different object in the namespace. A Former President holds no office or position in the U.S. government but does fill a role and does acquire rights and privileges (such as Secret Service protection) by reason of occupying that role.
In the U.S. system of government, the President fills two distinct roles – Head of State and Head of Government. In parliamentary systems (such as Canada) these two roles are hold by different entities. And, yes, it’s possible to define the actor in a role as another role. The Canadian Head of Government is the Prime Minister, the Head of State is the British Monarch (represented by the Governor General). A change in the actor in that role is automatically reflected in the Head of State role. It does make governing much easier that way.
So thus ends today’s lesson in both identity management and civics. Now get out and vote!
