The cold war effect: The politics of the proliferation of space technology in China, India and North Korea

• Main Authors: Granada, Maria Isabel B., Lelis, Benjamin N., Saclag, Daryll Edisonn D.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2010
• Subjects: Cold War in mass media; Space security > International cooperation; International and Area Studies
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/11423
• Institution: De La Salle University

The advent of the race into outer space set during the height of the Cold War brought about not only leaps and bounds within the realm of technological advancement but also raised absolute concerns in the area of state security. This was due in part to the dual-nature of all space-based technologies in which every object placed in orbit can be regarded with suspicion in terms of its real purpose--commercial and/or military. It is in this regard that every outer-space related endeavor was treated as part of the security agenda. It is in this light that the present race into space, involving mostly Asian states, should be examined. By using the Cold War experience of the United States and the Soviet Union, vis-Ã -vis their space program development, the researchers examine the political dynamics of the space race that is transpiring in Asia. Specifically, three aspects are highlighted: the material requirements for the states space program development, the motives for engaging in such activities, and its political and security implications to the international system. The study argues that the Cold War space race and the post-Cold War space race are very similar since both periods exhibit similar characteristics. This research provides further proof of the validity and relevance of the Neorealist framework in the Space Age.