Penn State International Law Review Volume 9 Article 2 Number 2 Dickinson Journal of International Law 1991 The trS ategic Defense Initiative and the Militarization of Space: Scientific Responsibility and Citizen Resistance Matthew Lippman Follow this and additional works at: http://elibrary.law.psu.edu/psilr Part of the International Law Commons, and the Military, War, and Peace Commons Recommended Citation Lippman, Matthew (1991) "The trS ategic Defense Initiative and the Militarization of Space: Scientific Responsibility and Citizen Resistance," Penn State International Law Review: Vol. 9: No. 2, Article 2. Available at: http://elibrary.law.psu.edu/psilr/vol9/iss2/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Penn State Law eLibrary. It has been accepted for inclusion in Penn State International Law Review by an authorized administrator of Penn State Law eLibrary. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. The Strategic Defense Initiative and the Militarization of Space: Scientific Responsibility and Citizen Resistance Matthew Lippman* I. Introduction The moderating of international tensions between the superpow- ers, the slowing of the nuclear arms race and the promise of a peace dividend have all contributed to a lessened popular concern over is- sues of national defense.1 The diversion of attention from war and peace has resulted in little scholarly attention being paid to the omi- nous potential growth in third-generation high-technology weapons. 2 These automated weapons systems are being designed primarily to operate in outer space where, despite claims to the contrary, they will be used to enhance the United States'ability to launch a first strike nuclear attack.3 The technological and strategic foundation of this revolution in weaponry is the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI).