The International Space Station: Peaceful Common Ground for Adversaries
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Category
Social Sciences/Humanities
Abstract/Artist Statement
In 2022, Europe and the United States faced fundamental changes in international economic and diplomatic relations due to Russia’s war against Ukraine. Yet, the NATO-Russia split has excluded the International Space Station (ISS), where the U.S., Japanese, Canadian, and European space agencies continue cooperation with Russia. To understand how adversaries maintain peaceful relations in some institutions, I utilized two political science theories – structural realism and neoliberal institutionalism – to analyze factors influencing cooperation. Findings on the ISS’s political dynamics offer strategies to pressure space-faring nations into peaceful relations, allowing for other nations and NGOs to access space resources for all of humanity’s benefit.
My project consists of historical and current policy analysis of U.S. ambitions for a space station. I reviewed government documents, peer-reviewed journals and periodicals for information on the ISS. I identified three periods to test: initial agreements made without Russia (1988), revised agreements with Russia (1993), and 2022 NATO-Russia split. I applied key concepts from the above-mentioned theories to explain why the U.S. did or did not cooperate with Russia. For structural realism, I hypothesized that the U.S. would cooperate with Russia if it views the ISS as a material capability and has no relative gains issues. For neoliberal institutionalism, I hypothesized that the U.S. would cooperate, if the ISS is an institution and cooperation is necessary for its function.
Political science research on outer-space is limited despite its growing civil and military importance. Although scholarship exists that applies realist theories, I could not find research that utilizes neoliberal institutionalism to explain governmental actions relating to the ISS. Thus, my project offers a novel suggestion that the ISS is an institution that has taken on a life of its own, necessitating cooperation between space-faring adversaries regardless of terrestrial politics. The ISS is model for peaceful common ground.
Mentor Name
Karen Adams
The International Space Station: Peaceful Common Ground for Adversaries
UC 326
In 2022, Europe and the United States faced fundamental changes in international economic and diplomatic relations due to Russia’s war against Ukraine. Yet, the NATO-Russia split has excluded the International Space Station (ISS), where the U.S., Japanese, Canadian, and European space agencies continue cooperation with Russia. To understand how adversaries maintain peaceful relations in some institutions, I utilized two political science theories – structural realism and neoliberal institutionalism – to analyze factors influencing cooperation. Findings on the ISS’s political dynamics offer strategies to pressure space-faring nations into peaceful relations, allowing for other nations and NGOs to access space resources for all of humanity’s benefit.
My project consists of historical and current policy analysis of U.S. ambitions for a space station. I reviewed government documents, peer-reviewed journals and periodicals for information on the ISS. I identified three periods to test: initial agreements made without Russia (1988), revised agreements with Russia (1993), and 2022 NATO-Russia split. I applied key concepts from the above-mentioned theories to explain why the U.S. did or did not cooperate with Russia. For structural realism, I hypothesized that the U.S. would cooperate with Russia if it views the ISS as a material capability and has no relative gains issues. For neoliberal institutionalism, I hypothesized that the U.S. would cooperate, if the ISS is an institution and cooperation is necessary for its function.
Political science research on outer-space is limited despite its growing civil and military importance. Although scholarship exists that applies realist theories, I could not find research that utilizes neoliberal institutionalism to explain governmental actions relating to the ISS. Thus, my project offers a novel suggestion that the ISS is an institution that has taken on a life of its own, necessitating cooperation between space-faring adversaries regardless of terrestrial politics. The ISS is model for peaceful common ground.