Bossed in Space

President Bush has signed a new National Space Policy that rejects future arms-control agreements that might limit U.S. flexibility in space and asserts a right to deny access to space to anyone "hostile to U.S. interests."
-- Washington Post, October 18, 2006

Once again, the US is asserting ultimate unilateral authority over realms in which it really has no authority to do so, other than its superpower status and the fact that no one can pragmatically challenge the position. Actions like this never fail to rile the international community. No wonder everyone is scrambling to get their own nukes.

While the White House says this policy is about protecting US interests such as commercial and military satellites, a "senior admininstration official" says that this policy is "not about deploying weapons in space," which we can easily assume means that is exactly what it will be about. Because how does one "deny access to space" unless space-based weapons are up there? The only other alternative is to stop the launch vehicle on the ground or blow it out of the sky as it is launching. And the oft-heard hegemonical phrase "US interests," of course, has such a broad meaning that competitive commercial non-US satellites could be viewed as "hostile" to American interests.

I guess space is just part of the larger move in the PNAC plans for benevolent global hegemony. But, good lord, these clowns can't even get control of Baghdad. Maybe the rest of the world is just ignoring these fatuous policies; maybe they're even amused by them.