The 21st century space arms race : curtailing heavenly thunderbolts through the shield of the 'peaceful purposes' mantra

Because of its uniquely commanding height, outer space has gained even greater military and strategic value in the post-Cold War international strategic environment. This provides for the possibility - some say probability - that outer space will become a platform for warfare. This development can only have negative consequences in the long term. As the United States pursues a policy that incorporates the placing of weapons in outer space, the other major space faring powers have not been idly sitting by. Recent advances in space technologies have put the development of space weapons within the realm of possibility for several other countries. This article seeks to revisit the intersection of the principal international treaties governing the use and exploration of outer space - primarily the Outer Space Treaty - and the United Nations Charter, in the light of contemporary developments. It outlines recent events in the emerging spaces arms race, which highlight even more the need both to emphasize the centrality of the 'peaceful purposes' mantra that underpins the exploration and use of space and to understand its operational rubrics and legal dynamics. It concludes by noting that the future of space security will depend on how effectively all States strive for the 'de-weaponization' of outer space by adhering to the peaceful purposes principle.