The Future of Geography

September 18, 2023
Geopolitical analyst Marshall (The Power of Geography) turns his focus to the final frontier in this concise look at space and the emerging “era of astropolitics.” Sketching the history of human dealings with space from prehistoric lunar calendars to the launch of Sputnik, Marshall lays the groundwork for his view that “space is going to be a geopolitical narrative of the twenty-first century.” Marshall demonstrates how politically fraught and high stakes space has the potential to be, highlighting how telecommunications satellites utilize the “attractive piece of real estate” that is Low Earth Orbit and the untapped potential of mineral resources on the moon. He cites as precursors of the coming political turmoil the 2023 incident of a Chinese surveillance balloon passing over the U.S. and Elon Musk deploying his Starlink satellite dishes in Ukraine after the Russian invasion in 2022. Marshall makes the case that laws governing space, such as the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, “require drastic updating” to prevent future conflict. Marshall’s assessments intrigue, and he provides valuable insight into an overlooked aspect of space exploration, though forays into more speculative realms, such as what a solar system–wide war might look like, slow things down. Still, Marshall’s expedition into the political realities of space is a thought-provoking effort.