Understanding Multi-stakeholder Regime Formation: The Case of Cislunar Space
Co-Principal Investigators: Mariel Borowitz, Georgia Institute of Technology; James Clay Moltz, Naval Postgraduate School, Larry Rubin, Georgia Institute of Technology; Svetla Ben-Itzak, Space Force PME, Lincoln Hines, Space Force PME, and Gregory Miller, Space Force PME
Years of Award: 2023-2025
Managing Service Agency: OSD Minerva
Project Description:
This study examines the pathways for sustainable regime formation in ungoverned spaces with resource and security challenges in the context of multiple stakeholders (including state and non-state actors) using the case of cislunar space activity. Regime theory offers insights into the reasons why, and the processes by which, states develop international regimes: the principles, norms, rules, and decision-making procedures around which actor expectations converge in a given issue area. Understanding these processes is critical to defining approaches to promote international security and stability in ungoverned and semi-governed spaces. However, the processes of regime formation is still not well-understood, and the role of domestic actors and non-state entities remains under-studied and under-theorized. The case of cislunar exploration and development – activity in the region of space influenced by the gravity of the Earth and/or the Moon, extending from beyond geostationary orbit and including the Moon itself – provides an opportunity to gain insight into these important issues.