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This work explores the legal and ethical issues surrounding the increased weaponization of outer space and the potential for space-based conflict. The essays included explore the moral and legal issues in four sections covering the legal framework; ethical issues; specific threats to space security; and possible legal and diplomatic solutions.
List of contents
- Foreword
- Introduction: Why Space Law Matters in War and Peace
- Matthew Hersch and Cassandra Steer
- PART I: The Law of War and Peace in Space
- 1. Applying International Humanitarian Law in Outer Space
- Cassandra Steer and Dale Stephens
- 2. Norm Setting and Transparency and Confidence-Building in Space Governance
- Theresa Hitchens
- 3. The Rule of Law in Outer Space: A Call for an International Outer Space Authority
- Icho Kealotswe-Matlou
- PART II: The Ethics of Space Security
- 4. The Ethical Foundation of Space Security
- P.J. Blount
- 5. U.S. Space Dominance-an Ethical Lens
- Joan Johnson-Freese and Kenneth Smith
- 6. Space Power Doctrines and National Security
- Peter Hays
- PART III: Current and Future Threats to Space Security
- 7. The Legality of Anti-Satellite Weapons
- Jinyuan Su
- 8. The Legality of Keep-Out, Operational and Safety Zones in Outer Space
- Matthew Stubbs
- 9. Prominent Security Threats Stemming from Space Hybrid Operations
- Jana Robinson
- PART IV: Toward Stability
- 10. A Proposed Transparency Measure as a Step Towards Space Arms Control
- Gilles Doucet
- 11. Outer Space and Crisis Risks
- Laura Grego
- 12. Diplomacy: The Missing Ingredient in Space Security
- Paul Meyer
- Conclusion
- Cassandra Steer and Matthew Hersch
- Index
About the author
Cassandra Steer is a Lecturer at the Australian National University (ANU) College of Law, specializing in space law and space security. She is a Mission Specialist with the ANU Institute for Space, providing legal and policy advice on a wide range of space science research initiatives. She is an Associate Expert on the Woomera Manual on International Law of Military Space Operations, and has published as well as consulted to the Canadian and U.S. departments of defense on issues of space security and space law.
Matthew Hersch is an Associate Professor of the History of Science at Harvard University specializing in the history of aerospace technology. He received his J.D. from New York University and his Ph.D. in the History and Sociology of Science from the University of Pennsylvania, where he later taught in the School of Arts and Science and the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Summary
This book delves into legal and ethical concerns over the increased weaponization of outer space and the potential for space-based conflict in the very near future. Unique to this collection is the emphasis on questions of ethical conduct and legal standards applicable to military uses of outer space. No other existing publication takes this perspective, nor includes such a range of interdisciplinary expertise.
The essays included in this volume explore the moral and legal issues of space security in four sections. Part I provides a general legal framework for the law of war and peace in space. Part II tackles ethical issues. Part III looks at specific threats to space security. Part IV proposes possible legal and diplomatic solutions. With an expert author team from North American and Europe, the volume brings together academics, military lawyers, military space operators, aerospace industry representatives, diplomats, and national security and policy experts. The experience of this team provides a collection unmatched in any academic publication broaching even some of these issues and will be required reading for anyone interested in war and peace in outer space.
