Fighting in space: Understanding the opportunity and willingness to pursue space weapons.

摘要

The dissertation examines state choices to develop or forego space weapons. Utilizing the framework of opportunity and willingness, the study sets the transition of warfare into space in the historical context of the transition to the use of airpower to fight wars. The study applies both statistical modeling and qualitative case studies in order to better understand state choices regarding space weapons. The study of state choices on space weapons contributes to the literature on cooperative collective action, technology proliferation, arms races and arms control, the prisoner's dilemma, and state leader pursuit of positive expected utility under conditions of bounded rationality within a poliheuristic framework.