ADDRESSING THE LEGAL AND SECURITY IMPLICATIONS OF OUTER SPACE CONFLICTS ON INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND COLLECTIVE SECURITY

Abstract

It has been decades ago since the adoption of various space treaties and resolutions that regulate man’s activities in outer space, yet the international legal regime governing these activities for peaceful use of outer space has remained largely un-amended. The new space era however, has experienced dramatic changes in the manners outer space is explored and used. The privatization and commercialization of space, proliferation of State and private space actors and prolonged presence of man in space were not in the purview when the current space regimes were adopted. Changes in the nature and scope of space actors and the spectre of space turning out a hippodrome for conflicts raise serious concern for the future of space activities and humanity, which the present space legal regime can no longer address. This work examines the issue of outer space conflicts and finds that outmoded, ineffective space governance regime is the bane. The work argues that issues concerning outer space security are important, not solely for the sake of the space but have far-reaching implications for global terrestrial security, as mankind increasingly rely on space for survival. Man’s growing dependence on space assets for social, economic and scientific benefits makes the space indispensable today, heightening States and other space-faring bodies’ desperation for dominance in outer space. As States intensify their space politics, space security is threatened the more, with attendant implications on international cooperation and collective security. Against this backdrop, this paper recommends the adoption of an effective and robust international space governance system that would adequately regulate State behaviours and address the intricacies of space affairs in the present space era, through a coordinated universal cooperation in form of international and interdisciplinary dialogues involving various space experts and actors.