This publication explores the concept of common security and the legal foundations for its application in outer space law, based on the premise that outer space is an internationalised common area beyond the national jurisdiction of individual states, and therefore security in space must be the common security of all states. Chapters cover a range of issues including: the principle of the peaceful use of outer space, passive military uses, and multilateral negotiations to prevent an arms race in outer space; structural change of international law and the common heritage of mankind principle; and proposals for a multilateral agreement and the creation of an International Organisation for Common Security in Outer Space.

This publication sets out the text of the five UN treaties so far adopted governing the activities of countries in the exploration and use of outer space, as well as the five Principles adopted by the UN General Assembly.

This book provides a detailed analysis on the history and development of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS) and the Conference on Disarmament (CD) and the coordination and cooperation between these two fora. Furthermore, it discusses the future challenges that these fora will have to deal with and conclude in which way the current system can change to cope with the evolution of space matters. This is necessary for the proper discussion of space matters because these matters cannot simply be divided between military and non-military, but are interrelated.

Space Security involves the use of space (in particular communication, navigation, earth observation, and electronic intelligence satellites) for military and security purposes on earth and also the maintenance of space (in particular the earth orbits) as safe and secure areas for conducting peaceful activities. The two aspects can be summarized as "space for security on earth" and “the safeguarding of space for peaceful endeavors.” The Handbook will provide a sophisticated, cutting-edge resource on the space security policy portfolio and the associated assets, assisting fellow members of the global space community and other interested policy-making and academic audiences in keeping abreast of the current and future directions of this vital dimension of international space policy. The debate on coordinated space security measures, including relevant 'Transparency and Confidence-Building Measures,' remains at a relatively early stage of development. The book offers a comprehensive description of the various components of space security and how these challenges are being addressed today. It will also provide a number of recommendations concerning how best to advance this space policy area, given the often competing objectives of the world's major space-faring nations. The critical role to be played by the United States and Europe as an intermediary and "middle diplomat" in promoting sustainable norms of behavior for space will likewise be highlighted. In providing a global and coherent analytical approach to space security today, the Handbook focuses on four areas that together define the entire space security area: policies, technologies, applications, and programs. This structure will assure the overall view of the subject from its political to its technical aspects. Internationally recognized experts in each of the above fields contribute, with their analytical synthesis assured by the section editors.

This book delves into legal and ethical concerns over the increased weaponization of outer space and the potential for space-based conflict in the very near future. Unique to this collection is the emphasis on questions of ethical conduct and legal standards applicable to military uses of outer space. No other existing publication takes this perspective, nor includes such a range of interdisciplinary expertise. The essays included in this volume explore the moral and legal issues of space security in four sections. Part I provides a general legal framework for the law of war and peace in space. Part II tackles ethical issues. Part III looks at specific threats to space security. Part IV proposes possible legal and diplomatic solutions. With an expert author team from North American and Europe, the volume brings together academics, military lawyers, military space operators, aerospace industry representatives, diplomats, and national security and policy experts. The experience of this team provides a collection unmatched in any academic publication broaching even some of these issues and will be required reading for anyone interested in war and peace in outer space.

In the spirit of the 50th anniversary of the United Nations and the United Nations Decade of International Law, the contributors to "Perspectives on International Law" honour with this legal treatise a devoted friend of the United Nations and international law, Judge Manfred Lachs - a noted judge, diplomat, humanist and, above all, teacher. The work includes a variety of perspectives on international law relating to what were Judge Lachs' four main areas of interest: the theory and practice of international law, the United Nations, the World Court, and space law. The book meets the need for a reference work covering selected subject areas and providing different perspectives on some of the key issues of current concern. Many eminent experts in various fields related to international law, including Judges of the International Court of Justice, diplomats, and professors of law - most of whom knew Judge Lachs personally - have contributed. Each chapter has been prepared specifically for the book. The contributors represent all political, legal and cultural regions of the world and provide a range of backgrounds and viewpoints, offering a variety of new ideas for strengthening international law, based on their assessment of the lessons of the past.