The prospect of Earth being ruled from space is no longer
science-fiction. The dream of the original Dr. Strangelove, Wernher von
Braun (from Nazi rocket-scientist to NASA director) has survived every
US administration since WW2 and is coming to life. Today the technology
exists to weaponize space, a massive American industry thrives, and
nations are maneuvering for advantage.
PAX AMERICANA tackles this
pivotal moment. Are war machines already orbiting Earth? Can treaties
keep space weapons-free? Must the World capitulate to one super-cop on
the global beat?
With startling archival footage and
unprecedented access to US Air Force Space Command, this elegant,
forceful documentary reveals the state of play through generals,
space-policy analysts, politicians, diplomats, peace activists, and
hawks.
As if there weren't enough weapons here on earth, space
has become the newest arena for countries around the globe to launch
their struggle for supremacy. Denis Delestrac's film Pax Americana and
the Weaponization of Space is packed full of some truly startling facts —
everything from the "Rods of God" (space weapons that can launch from
orbit) to the fact that fifty cents of every American tax dollar goes
towards military spending. The astronomical costs of arming and policing
the heavens (more than $200 billion) has largely fallen to the US Air
Force, but with China and other nations challenging American supremacy,
there is the potential for a war to take place right over our heads.
Comparison
of the space race to the sea battles of the 18th and 19th Century are
apt, since so many global interests are at stake. As per usual,
economics are at the heart of the struggle. Noam Chomsky draws analogies
between the US weaponization of space to good old-fashioned colonialism
in the tradition of empire. In the name of protecting commercial
investment, the US has charged itself with being the arbiter of peace in
space. But with the weapons industry replacing almost all other
manufacturing in America, is this simply a ruse? Many experts
unequivocally state that missile defense is the longest running fraud in
the history of US defense. That it, in fact, disguises true American
intentions to dominate space as a means of dominating the entire globe.
(Getting rid of the anti-ballistic missile treaty was one of the first
activities undertaken by the Bush Administration.)
If a space war
were to happen, the effects could prove catastrophic. Since there is no
way to clean up debris and space junk, it stays in orbit, circling the
globe at some 14,000 miles per hour. At this speed, even a pea-sized
piece of debris has the capacity to destroy whatever is in its path.
This includes satellites that regulate most of the world's information
systems (everything from GPS to banking to media). But with China
shooting down one of their own aging satellites, the race shows every
sign of heating up. This time, the sky may indeed be falling.
