China colonel predicts arms in outer space

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/16560349.htm

DAVOS, Switzerland - A senior Chinese military officer predicts that weapons will be deployed in outer space despite the government's long-standing desire to prevent an arms race in space.

Yao Yunzhu, a senior colonel in the People's Liberation Army, brought up China's recent successful test of an anti-satellite weapon during a World Economic Forum dinner Thursday.

"My wish is we really want to keep space as a peaceful place for human beings," she said.

"But personally, I'm pessimistic about it," said Yao, 52, who directs the Asia-Pacific Office at the Academy of Military Science in Beijing. "My prediction: Outer space is going to be weaponized in our lifetime."

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As unfortunate as it is

Unfortunately. Because of US aggresiveness.

My bad

She's right

It's not solely due to US aggressiveness. While it will no doubt play a part, I think it's foolish to think that all blame would soley fall square on the US's shoulders. If it wasn't the US then it would be other nations. Perhaps china, japan, or even India. Looking even further down the road, when mankind begins to colonize other planets, I am sure we can expect even more militarization of space. Your line of thought seems to be that if the US didn't exist then this would never happen. Sorry, but mankind seems to be a fairly violent war like bunch, not just us barbaric 'murkins. Feel free to point out any errors in my line of thinking though. :D

diplomacy, mutually-beneficial cooperation rather than naked competition under a 'de-militarized space' treaty, then the possible peaceful benefits of space exploration and eventually exploitation would surely render the development of space weaponry much less cost-effective. (and see #8 below).

Chomsky has been making this point (weaponization of space) for years

Honestly, I do not see any realistic way to prevent it. I was actually thinking about this the other day... Let's assume that the US, or perhaps the entire 'west' stopped any militarization of space. It may help to delay such militarization, but eventually other nations will begin their own programs. Just take the todays nuclear issues as an example. Obviously this doesn't mean that we should just rollover and let it happen without some sort of fight. However, it does get you to thinking about how things will ultimately end up... Or if you're the strange type, like me, then you might even try to put yourself into the shoes of a nations leader... What do you do to protect your nation? What happens if do not research such things and then you find that nation-x has been researching such weapons. What can you do? How can you prevent all other nations from building such programs? Can you? Anyways, I pretty much concluded that humankind is probably gonna end up killing itself off...

That's exactly where your line of logic would seem to almost inevitably lead; and that's hy an alternative must be sought.

Sure, if you see all or some of your neighbours are armed to the teeth and have the motivation to be dangerous, then you arm and prepare to attack or defend yourself. But if you all parley, negotiate a more peaceful way forward, then the mutual benefits, history shows, can be outstanding.

Of course, the best way to achieve this would be through the (preferably peaceful, civilised) establishment of a one-world government in which all cultural voices on this planet have their representation and their say.

Ask yourself, why does the USA seem to constantly feel itself to be under some kind of threat (whether real or imagined)?

In Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine" there's a short cartoon made by a student (that really ought to be on YouTube by now) that, if you know it, maybe points to some of what I'm suggesting here.

Of course, this is not something that could be achieved overnight. But China for example, has a long history of non-aggression and search for peaceful development. ed. And there are those who say that the early Soviet Union only so forcefully armed itself in response to perceived external threats (and thus beginning, perhaps, the process of corruption of the original aims of the popular revolution).

weapons in space. (There was a thread on this recently - I'm looking). We want everyone else to promise not to militarize space, except us. What the hell kind of response do we expect, anyway?