Russia's Invasion of Ukraine from Orbit: The Role of Space Diplomacy in Modern Conflict - A Space Diplomacy Lab Discussion with Professor Frans von der Dunk

Please join the Space Diplomacy Lab of the Duke University Center for International and Global Studies/Rethinking Diplomacy Program, for a timely discussion with Professor Frans von der Dunk, Harvey and Susan Perlman Alumni and Othmer Professor of Space Law at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln on Friday April 8, 2022. The Space Diplomacy Lab team will discuss with Professor von der Dunk the legal and regulatory norms that need development to build a policy toolkit for diplomats to avoid destabilizing scenarios in space related to Russia's continued war against Ukraine - especially those that could endanger the future safe and sustainable use of low-Earth orbit.

We will discuss topics including the urgent need for norms-setting to develop well-understood legal and policy responses to any potential future interaction between the space assets of private sector entities and nation states, and how private sector geospatial and internet-providing platforms can help assess and coordinate humanitarian assistance and evacuation routes in Ukraine.

More broadly, we will continue our program-wide discussion of the urgent need for longer-term anticipatory diplomacy and a global Summit for Space Security, which can become a framework for diplomats to work toward orbital sustainability as the number of technologies, nations, and companies operating in low-Earth orbit continues to multiply during this decade.