Colder wars

Abstract

Inspired by Ender’s Game’s controversial ending, this essay analyzes futuristic space warfare from a Cold War perspective. In a space-based Cold War, every system is vulnerable to surprise attacks from multiple directions, particularly from planet-shattering asteroids. Mitigating these attacks poses significant challenges, as traditional defenses like fortifications are not possible in space. Conventional warfare’s limitations provide no respite in space. Countries can’t fall back and regroup, and there is no time for decisive battles. The vastness of space and the difficulty in detecting incoming objects make a second-strike impossible. Unlike in Cold War nuclear warfare, there may not be someone to hold accountable for space-based attacks, as objects could be stolen or laundered. Overall, the analysis suggests that a space-based Cold War would be disastrous, with no clear advantage for defenders. – AI-generated abstract.