James Clay Moltz - Asias Space Race: National Motivations, Regional Rivalries, and International Risks

In contrast to the close cooperation practiced among European states, space relations among Asian states have become increasingly tense. If current trends continue, the Asian civilian space competition could become a military race. To better understand these emerging dynamics, James Clay Moltz conducts the first in-depth policy analysis of Asias fourteen leading space programs, concentrating especially on developments in China, Japan, India, and South Korea.Moltz isolates the domestic motivations driving Asias space actors, revisiting critical events such as Chinas 2007 antisatellite weapons test and manned flights, Japans successful Kaguya lunar mission and Kibo module for the International Space Station (ISS), Indias Chandrayaan lunar mission, and South Koreas astronaut visit to the ISS, along with plans to establish independent space-launch capability. He investigates these nations divergent space goals and their tendency to focus on national solutions and self-reliance rather than regionwide cooperation and multilateral initiatives. He concludes with recommendations for improved intra-Asian space cooperation and regional conflict prevention.Moltz also considers Americas efforts to engage Asias space programs in joint activities and the prospects for future U.S. space leadership. He extends his analysis to the relationship between space programs and economic development in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, North Korea, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, making this a key text for international relations and Asian studies scholars.