Phar, Kim Beng and Hamzah, Luthfy and Azizan, Rahmah (2025) Space is America’s next frontier, not EU’s next bureaucracy. Space is America’s next frontier, not EU’s next bureaucracy, NA (NA). pp. 1-5.
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Abstract
The article argues that the growing dispute between the United States and the European Union over the proposed EU Space Act reflects a deeper geopolitical struggle over who will shape the rules governing the future of outer space. It contends that Washington views Brussels’ attempt to regulate satellite operations, orbital debris management, and environmental obligations beyond European borders as an unacceptable intrusion into American strategic sovereignty. While the EU frames its regulatory initiative as a necessary step toward sustainable and coordinated space governance, the article argues that the United States interprets it as bureaucratic overreach that could restrict innovation and undermine the competitiveness of major American firms such as SpaceX, Amazon Kuiper, and Planet Labs. The analysis highlights the contrasting philosophies of both sides: Europe prioritises precautionary regulation and multilateral oversight, whereas the United States favours entrepreneurial expansion, technological dominance, and strategic flexibility. The article further emphasises that space has become inseparable from geopolitical power, military competition, and economic influence in the twenty-first century. It argues that the establishment of the US Space Force and Washington’s commitment to maintaining dominance in low-Earth orbit, geostationary space, and future lunar operations demonstrate America’s refusal to subordinate its strategic ambitions to external regulatory frameworks. The piece also situates the dispute within a wider global fragmentation of space governance, where competing models are emerging through the US-led Artemis Accords, the EU’s regulatory approach, and China’s state-centric space strategy. ASEAN is presented as a region increasingly affected by these developments, particularly as Southeast Asian economies become more dependent on satellite-based technologies for communications, agriculture, disaster management, and digital infrastructure. Ultimately, the article concludes that the United States will continue to resist European attempts to regulate the “final frontier” because space is viewed not as another bureaucratic domain, but as a central arena for preserving American technological leadership and geopolitical primacy.
| Item Type: | Article (Electronic Media) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | EU Space Act; US Space Force; ASEAN |
| Subjects: | J Political Science > JZ International relations U Military Science > U Military Science (General) |
| Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button): | International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC) Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences > Department of Political Science Office of the Rector |
| Depositing User: | Mr Muhammad Syameer Luthfy Bin Hamzah |
| Date Deposited: | 08 May 2026 10:09 |
| Last Modified: | 08 May 2026 10:09 |
| Queue Number: | 2026-05-Q3254 |
| URI: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/128883 |
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