“The Centre of Conflict Itself”
In late November, the German Ministry of Defense and the German Foreign Office jointly published the first-ever “Space Safety and Security Strategy”. Its most remarkable aspect is the straightforward recognition of Outer Space “increasingly [as] the centre of conflict itself”. In the absence of a comprehensive multilateral treaty, the specific application of international law’s principles to the military uses of Outer Space is currently under development. Given significant divisions among spacefaring states, this legal order will most likely crystallize through a non-linear, heterogeneous process of individual statements, actions, and reactions. Germany’s strategy chimes into this debate and sets the tone for a much-anticipated Federal Space Law.
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