Time for a treaty to ban weapons in space

 

Letter to the New York Times

By Alice Slater

It is ironic that in his reporting of President Biden’s decision to pull US troops out of Afghanistan, finally ending the US’s 20 year failed and brutal efforts for reform, David Sanger strangely concludes, not that we need more peace in the world, but that we need to focus on “far bigger strategic challenges—in space and in cyber space” coming from Russia and China.  

Perhaps Sanger is unaware that only days earlier, Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, in acknowledging the 60th Anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s April 12, 1961 accomplishment as the first man to orbit the Earth, also reminded the world of Russia’s repeated calls for the prevention of an arms race in space as well as Russia’s past rejected efforts, together with China, to start negotiations on a draft of a treaty to ban space weapons. 

 

Both nations submitted drafts to the Committee on Disarmament in Geneva, in 2008 and again in 2014. Sadly, the US blocked all discussion of a space ban treaty in that consensus bound forum.   Also, perhaps Sanger was unaware of the Times own coverage of Putin’s offer to President Obama in 2009 to negotiate a treaty to ban cyber war.

In the midst of this current brutal media blitz demonizing both Russia and China, the NY Times should be wary of leading with skewed, immoral or untruthful charges similar to the media onslaught that led up to the catastrophic war in Iraq.  At that sorry time, the Times acknowledged its erroneous front-page reports of Saddam Hussein’s non-existent weapons of mass destruction, which contributed to the chaos that ensued.  

When discussing the wrongdoing of other nations, it is essential that we examine the role the US has played in the current hostilities, not only in space, but in cyber-warfare, NATO expansion, abandoning the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, surrounding Russia and China with military bases, and other aggressive postures-- driven clearly by what President, formerly General, Eisenhower warned us against -- the Military-Industrial Complex.    

The Times must follow the money and tell the truth.

Sincerely,

Alice Slater
New York, NY