Name: Weapons in Space
Price: 60.00 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: Aaron Bateman
ISBN: 9780262547369

A new and provocative take on the formerly classified history of accelerating superpower military competition in space in the late Cold War and beyond.

In March 1983, President Ronald Reagan shocked the world when he established the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), derisively known as “Star Wars,” a space-based missile defense program that aimed to protect the US from nuclear attack. In Weapons in Space, Aaron Bateman draws from recently declassified American, European, and Soviet documents to give an insightful account of SDI, situating it within a new phase in the militarization of space after the superpower détente fell apart in the 1970s. In doing so, Bateman reveals the largely secret role of military space technologies in late–Cold War US defense strategy and foreign relations.

In contrast to existing narratives, Weapons in Space shows how tension over the role of military space technologies in American statecraft was a central source of SDI’s controversy, even more so than questions of technical feasibility. By detailing the participation of Western European countries in SDI research and development, Bateman reframes space militarization in the 1970s and 1980s as an international phenomenon. He further reveals that even though SDI did not come to fruition, it obstructed diplomatic efforts to create new arms control limits in space. Consequently, Weapons in Space carries the legacy of SDI into the post–Cold War era and shows how this controversial program continues to shape the global discourse about instability in space—and the growing anxieties about a twenty-first-century space arms race.

“Weapons in Space will serve as a useful case study in a number of subject areas and will offer valuable lessons for researchers and policymakers for years to come.”
—Journal of Policy and Strategy

“Weapons in Space is a major accomplishment in the political and historical study of outer space. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the transnational history and politics of outer space, especially for those more interested in its military, industrial, and political dimensions.”
—H-Net Reviews

“Drawing on previously classified documents, Bateman pulls back the curtain on political and diplomatic discussions. While rooted in the past, the book is a serious contribution to contemporary international security scholarship because we continue to have concerns about the weaponization of space today.”
—Binding Hook

“Bateman succeeds in making a complex topic accessible… The book is worthwhile for anyone interested in exploring the intersection of technology and politics in military strategy, offering lessons that remain relevant in today’s increasingly complex global security environment.”
—Journal of Military Strategy

“This work is a must read for space enthusiasts and policy makers so that we do not repeat past mistakes and keep near and outer space a safe adventure for all.”
—Choice

“Splendid archival research and compelling analysis. Bateman has rendered invaluable service by unravelling the complexities of outer space militarization and deftly situating these within the broader historical, political and strategic context… Weapons in Space is a classic.”
—RUSI Journal

“Bateman’s astute historical analysis is an essential read for anyone wanting to learn more about the militarization of space, the SDI’s impact on arms control and its legacy today.”
—International Affairs

“Amidst a resurgence in space exploration enthusiasm, [Bateman’s] detailed analyses remind us of the inseparable links between technological advancement, geopolitics, and national security.”
—China International Strategy Review

“Weapons in Space offers a crucial reminder that space flight and space technologies were never separate from Cold War policies.”
—British Journal for the History of Science

“Weapons in Space is an important contribution to the literature.”
—Joint Force Quarterly

“Presents a history of the ‘black world’ of American national security space activities that truly breaks new ground.”
—Diplomatic History

“This is an excellent book and a must-read for anyone who is interested in military uses of space and in US-Russian relations. It is also a model of archival research on sensitive intelligence-related subjects.”
—Svetlana Savranskaya, H-Diplo

“Bateman’s book has made a very welcome contribution to our understanding of SDI and the issue of weapons in space…. It is a complex story, but Bateman lays it out well. This book will be of great value to historians, as well as to those who are thinking about the problem of weapons in space today.”
—David Holloway, H-Diplo

“Weapons in Space is a welcome and much-needed addition to the historiography of SDI. This book will be a necessary reference for historians of SDI, and space diplomacy generally, for years to come.”
—Technology and Culture

Weapons in Space

Related Genres

You May Also Like

A Short History of Nearly Everything

The Global Forest

Dr. Fun Guy’s Mushroom Journal and Foraging Guide

Perspectives on Consciousness

Atomic Albion

Thresholds of Digital Gameplay

Problems and Solutions to Accompany Chang and Lovett’s Physical Chemistry for the Biosciences, Second Edition

The Web Beneath the Waves

Logic in Games

The Social Codes of Tech Workers

Success!

By Aaron Bateman