The US Recognition of Outer Space as Warfighting Domain: Strategic Background & Implications for The International Arms Control Agenda

Abstract

In this dissertation, I rely on the realist theory explanations to navigate throughout the developments of the US strategic interests in the outer space, which have eventually led to acknowledging space as a separate warfighting domain. And link these developments with the broader debates on astropolitics and space security within the literature of International Relations. This paper shall provide a general outlook to any scholar of interest in the new realities of the current Space Age with a specific reference to the developments in the US, in particular. It also aims to emphasize the United Nations important role in arms control and its renewed efforts on the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS).