Are we destined to have a space war?
- Experts from 25 countries meet to lay the groundwork for a treaty to keep space peaceful
- Donald Trump has declared space a ‘war-fighting domain’
On the surface, this looks like a terrible moment for the world’s major military powers to negotiate a deal on preventing an arms race in space.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon has drafted plans for a new “Space Force” on orders from US President Donald Trump who has declared space a “war-fighting domain”.
Despite those headwinds, experts from 25 countries – including China, Russia and the US – open a 10-day meeting in Geneva Monday aiming to lay the groundwork for a treaty to keep space peaceful.
Even against the grim diplomatic backdrop, experts say there may be reasons for optimism.
“I hope I am not just indulging in wishful thinking here but I do see some positive initiatives against this rather dark background,” said Paul Meyer, Canada’s former disarmament ambassador and an expert on space security at The Simons Foundation in Vancouver.