Nuclear Weapons

The Outer Space Treaty and the weaponization of space

By Joan Johnson-Freese, David Burbach, June 27, 2019

The United States and several other countries appear to be on a path toward the overt weaponization of space. The question is whether international law – specifically, amending the Outer Space Treaty – offers a way off that path and away from what some consider the inevitability of space warfare. This article addresses the challenges to amending the Outer Space Treaty as a way to slow down or abate what seems a fast-moving policy train, and offers suggestions regarding alternatives.

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