Building Bridges in Space: A conversation with Dr. Mai'a K. Davis Cross

The 2020s will be remembered for a wide array of global challenges and opportunities related to rapid, transformational technology development. Among those major transformations has been the emergence of a wide array of space technologies, open to a wider number of international actors than any time in human history. This commercial space revolution has evolved along with a resurgence of great power competition and geopolitical rivalries. An era of urgent, anticipatory space diplomacy has arrived.

Questions abound: Will the Russian Federation become the world's first "former space power"? Will cooperation or competition define space relations between Washington and Beijing? How will emerging space technologies transform the way that international diplomacy and sanctions enforcement are conducted? How can international organizations address the urgent need for norms and regulations between governments and private sector actors operating spacecraft in low earth orbit and beyond? Will the world be able to avoid a future weaponization of outer space, ensuring a safe and sustainable future of planet?

To address these questions and more, the Duke University Space Diplomacy Lab is proud to welcome Mai'a K. Davis Cross, the Dean's Professor of Political Science, International Affairs, and Diplomacy, and Director of the Center for International Affairs and World Cultures at Northeastern University.