The president’s terrestrial policies haven’t been particularly successful, but how about his plans for space? I’m afraid they’re not much better.
President Bush has signed a new National Space Policy that rejects future arms-control agreements that might limit U.S. flexibility in space and asserts a right to deny access to space to anyone “hostile to U.S. interests.”
The document, the first full revision of overall space policy in 10 years, emphasizes security issues, encourages private enterprise in space, and characterizes the role of U.S. space diplomacy largely in terms of persuading other nations to support U.S. policy.
“Freedom of action in space is as important to the United States as air power and sea power,” the policy asserts in its introduction.
A senior administration told the WaPo in no uncertain terms, “This policy is not about developing or deploying weapons in space. Period.” That’s good to hear, but the policy appears to be centered around militarizing space, if not weaponizing it. Exploration is out; Pentagon use is in.
Michael Krepon, co-founder of the Henry L. Stimson Center, a nonpartisan think tank that follows the space-weaponry issue, told the Post that the policy changes will reinforce international suspicions that the United States may seek to develop, test and deploy space weapons. It makes matters worse, Krepon said, when the Bush administration refuses to discuss or negotiate with anyone on the issue.
Regardless, I’m struck by this notion that the United States will stop other countries from going into space if the government decides it’s “hostile to U.S. interests.” What exactly does that mean?
The U.S. may have, say, a commercial interest in space, which may face competition from China or Russia. At what point does a Bush policy suggest the United States tell a rival country, “No, you can’t go to space, because it’s ‘hostile to U.S. interests’?”
Matt Yglesias says the policy not only strives for “unilateral hegemony over outer space,” it also is poor diplomacy.
This seems like a fairly peripheral concern at the moment — there’s no pressing space-based threat. At the same time, one imagines that countries like Russia and China aren’t going to be thrilled with this idea. Coincidentally enough, right now we’re trying to secure a higher level of Russian and Chinese cooperation over North Korea, which is a fairly pressing issue. So was it really necessary to announce this just now? Does the White House even think about that kind of stuff — the idea that we should set priorities and try to avoid pissing people off over third-tier issues right when we’re potentially on the verge of accomplishing something important?
Bush? Taking a unilateral and hegemonic policy position at a delicate diplomatic time? You don’t say.
The Heretik, meanwhile, asks some important logistical questions.
Just how will Bush deny access to space? Will we have to fight them up there so we don’t have to fight them here? Will we fight them on the launch pad?
I’m afraid to know how the Bush gang might answer these questions.