Common Security in Outer Space and International Law

The idea of developing the interdisciplinary concept laid out in this book dates back to my studies at Columbia University in New York and to two internships at the United Nations, one in the Legal Department and the other in the Department for Disarmament Affairs, in the years 1983-1985. It was sparked by the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) speech of US President Ronald Regan in March 1983, which raised for the first time the spectre of a deployment of weapons in outer space. With the end of the Cold War there seemed to be no need for or risk of such a development. Yet, the plans for the weaponization of outer space have returned with force. Today, international security is further aggravated by nuclear proliferation and the risk of nuclear terrorism. These risks and the horrific attacks of 11 September 2001 have convinced me that the international community has to establish a comprehensive order of common or cooperative security that will prevent he weaponization of outer space and pave the way for nuclear disarmament on Earth. I hope that the present analysis will contribute to laying an interdisciplinary foundation for such an international order of common security in outer space.