This is a past event
Within the framework of a colonisation of space, a physical distance could push the colonists to the refusal of any Earth legal order insofar as it would be difficult for the States on Earth to apply their sovereignty over these colonies. This factual situation could give rise to legal claims, on the basis of international law in order to recognise the autonomy of the space colonies. So what would be the legal status of this people in space and could it be independent or simply autonomous? Elon Musk has unveiled his plans to colonise Mars and explained how to send a million people to the Red Planet by 2050. This project, like many others, invokes the permanent installation of colonies in space. These "peoples of space" could have had recourse to the right of peoples to self-determination, allowing them to determine, in complete independence, their internal and external political status, without external interference and to continue their political development at their discretion, economic, social and cultural. However, the right to self-determination rests on the notion of people, which is not explicitly defined in law. Without legal delimitation of the holder of this right, the claims of autonomy of the colonies in space could be null and void. By answering this question, this article proposes to consider a whole new approach to the problems of space law. Rather than using maritime law or Antarctic law, commonly used to discuss space law, this article contemplates using another branch of public international law: the right to self-determination. From this first confrontation between these two branches of law, a new legal response could be brought to the notion of people within the framework of public international law.
- Speaker
- Josselin Lavigne
- Hosted by
- Aberdeen Centre for Constitutional and Public International Law
- Venue
- Online Event