International space law is a subject presently thoroughly
dominated by leaders of the aerospace industry who are more than eager to privatize
space to the benefit of corporate sponsors and wealthy individuals.
The aerospace industry has established space law
departments at various universities around the world and are busy trying to
rewrite United Nations space law that was established by the Outer Space Treaty
and the Moon Treaty.
Both of those treaties state that celestial bodies and
their resources are “the common heritage of mankind and that an international
regime should be established to govern” their extraction.
Currently no such international agreements exist. In fact, during the Obama administration a
bill was passed and signed into law giving US corporations and individuals the
legal authority to make land claims on the moon and asteroids. This could surely cause conflict in the
future.
What is sorely needed at this time is a body of legal
experts who wish to explore this celestial privatization issue from the point
of view and interests of all humankind.
We are now lucky to have such an opportunity as a conference is being
organized in Visakhapatnam, India on October 12-13, 2019 at the Damodaram
Sanjivayya National Law University (DSNLU). This conference is being
co-sponsored by the Global Network (GN).
GN Advisory Board member Aruna Kammila, Assistant
Professor at DSNLU, is organizing the conference which will be entitled
“International Conference on Super Powers Domination in Outer Space and Global
Sustainable Development”.
Ms. Kammila writes, “The people of our planet must
consider the question of the kind of seed one carries from earth into the
heavens. The essential objective of this
conference is to give a stage to exhibit emerging issues and challenges in
outer space and a contemporary analysis based on legal, political, economic as
well as the scientific aspect in order to ensure peace and security in the
international sphere with concern to outer space.”
Among the speakers scheduled to attend the conference
will be History Professor Peter Kuznick from American University in Washington
DC, Subrata Ghoshroy from MIT, and Bruce Gagnon, Coordinator of the Global Network.
Global Network members will be given accommodation and food at the event free of charge. The day after the conference international guests will be taken on a tour of Visakhapatnam.
If interested in attending this important event please
contact the GN office at 207-607-4255.
See conference brochure and details here
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