Biden Will Have to Confront a New and Perhaps More Dangerous Space Race

In my weekly column for World Politics Review, I write about how the emergence of new space-faring nations, an explosion of private commercial activity and a brewing arms race are all leaving outdated international institutions in the space dust.

President-elect Joe Biden is a down-to-earth guy, but the fate of the heavens may end up being one of his main foreign policy challenges. The United States has long sought to maintain outer space as an open, stable and rules-bound domain. Unfortunately, this cooperative vision is under stress. The emergence of new space-faring nations, an explosion of private commercial activity and a brewing arms race, among other issues, are all leaving outdated international institutions in the space dust.

Biden has made a “return to multilateralism” the core theme of his proposed foreign policy. Closing glaring gaps in outer space governance should be part of this agenda. Without broad agreement on principles, norms and rules of responsible behavior, today’s final frontier will soon resemble the Wild West of yesteryear.

Read the full World Politics Review article here.