Is space the next military battleground?
Experts from 25 countries meet in an attempt to keep the peace.
The popular US television show Star Trek may have been right when it declared “Space: the final frontier”. This week, officials from 25 countries are meeting in Switzerland in an effort to prevent space-based conflict.
The closed-door talks are seen as a test of goodwill on the subject among world powers. Talks, though, have already hit a snag after the United States accused Russia and China of pushing an arms race in space. Both countries denied that, pointing out President Donald Trump’s plan for a military “Space Force”.
The chairman of the committee, Ambassador Guilherme de Aguiar Patriota of Brazil, has acknowledged that reaching agreement on an international treaty within the next decade is “very ambitious”. If all 25 countries do not unanimously agree then no treaty can be formalised.
On this episode of The Stream, we speak with:
Victoria Samson @SWFoundation
Washington office director, Secure World Foundation
swfound.org/about-us
Kazuto Suzuki @KS_1013
International editorial board, Space Policy Journal
journals.elsevier.com
Daniel Porras @spacedaporras
Space security fellow, UN Institute for Disarmament Research in Geneva
unidir.org
Read more:
Star wars: US raises alarm over threats to space supremacy – Al Jazeera
US blames Russia and China for space ‘arms race,’ but refuses their weapons ban – Newsweek
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