Infrastructure For The Future: The International Order and US Leadership in Space

The late 19th century and the early 20th century saw the rise of a new genre of writing—science fiction—with some astonishing work by popular writers, such as Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. In their novels, they write about their characters undertaking an expedition to the Moon. These fictional speculations led to the discovery of rockets. However, the actual space program grew out of the World War II and the advances made in rocketry during wartime.

Few global issues have taken on more current importance than the future of the postwar, rule-based international order. The roots of the order run back to the mid-1940s, when U.S. officials concluded that the United States should work to shape the postwar settlement in more structured, collaborative and rule-bound ways. They conceived of global organizations to promote collective problem-solving, avert protectionist impulses, and stabilize the world economy. The resulting global institutions, processes, habits, rules, and norms inspired the rise of regional organizations and became what we now know as the postwar international order. The essential approach it reflects—nesting U.S. power in a shared multilateral order—has provided the basis for U.S. national security strategies since the 1950s.

Today, however, that order is under unprecedented strain, both within the societies of its leading members and from revisionist countries determined to change some aspects of how the order functions.

SPEAKERS­

Tyler Bender, Research Associate, Beyond Earth Institute

Tim Chrisman, Founder & Executive Director, Foundation For The Future