Outer Space: Weapons, Diplomacy, and Security

In this era of globalization, the world is facing a host of challenging security problems—from the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to international terrorism to accelerating climate change to energy security—that cannot be resolved unilaterally, especially through the unilateral use of military force. One key issue that requires urgent global attention is literally "out of this world": the military use of outer space.

This collection of essays by leading Russian experts analyzes the current military use of outer space. The book describes the space weapons programs of various countries. It details the history of negotiations to prevent, or at least control, the weaponization of space, including analyses of the political, military, technical, and legal problems facing negotiators trying to avoid a catastrophic new space race.

Alexei Arbatov is a senior scholar and chair of the Nonproliferation program at the Carnegie Moscow Center and head of the Center for International Security at the Institute for International Economy and International Relationships of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Vladimir Dvorkin is principal researcher at the Center for International Security at the Institute for World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences and former director of the Fourth Central Research Institute in Moscow.