Dr Cassandra Steer

The Outer Space Treaty is dead! (Long live the Outer Space Treaty!) A cry from an optimistic realist

Is space a lawless Wild West? Does the Outer Space Treaty needs replacing? We have to understand what the OST is and what it is not. And what international law is and is not. Either way, the OST is not dead, and this is why: open.substack.com/pub/spacecit...

Adelaide gets its bit of AUKUS On Sunday 15 February, Prime Minister Albanese and Defence Industry Minister Conroy, with South Australian Premier Malinauskas in tow, launched the new AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine construction sit...

The excellent (and very funny) Allan Behm in @thepointau.bsky.social today on how “the proverbial rainbow is certainly hitting the arse-end of Adelaide” as Aukus funds pour in - but to what end?

thepoint.com.au/opinions/260...

Great question. It's what Carney's govt has been doing already, but differs from what came before, in that it is explicitly unwilling to remain tethered to the US. More willing to diversify partnerships. It's a call for all middle powers to move together and independently of the US.

Free internet for the revolution! What should we make of SpaceX in Iran

Access to internet is critical for Iranians. Starlink has been a digital lifeline, but can Musk be trusted to keep it on? The revolution will not be televised (see Gil Scott Heron). But we can hope it remains visible (see my "Space Citizens" Substack)
open.substack.com/pub/spacecit...?

It's not a proposed alternative. It's a statement of how Canada will move forward in the face of reality. Variable geometry means going beyond US dependence, building partnerships with a range of countries on a range of issues. Don't need to be "like minded" on everything

So much in Carney's speech was bang on,especially this "We knew the story of the international rules-based order was partially false that the strongest would exempt themselves when convenient...that international law applied with varying rigour depending on the identity of the accused or the victim"

Space in the Asian Century (Which, by the way, we have already entered)

What is the Asian Century? Have we already entered it? Why is space (satellites, data, connectivity) so important for this new era? My last post for 2025 is an enthusiastic rant, complete with a video of my visit to the Philippines for a regional gathering. Enjoy! open.substack.com/pub/spacecit...

ICC strongly rejects new U.S. sanctions designations against two ICC Judges The International Criminal Court deplores the announcement of new designations for sanctions by the US administration against Judge Gocha Lordkipanidze (Georgia) and Judge Erdenebalsuren Damdin (Mongolia). These additional designations follow the earlier designation of nine elected officials of the Judiciary and the Office of the Prosecutor, drawn from all regional groups.These sanctions are a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution which operates pursuant to the mandate conferred by its States Parties from across regions. Such measures targeting judges and prosecutors who were elected by the States Parties undermine the rule of law. When judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it is the international legal order itself that is placed at risk.As previously stated, the Court stands firmly behind its personnel and behind victims of unimaginable atrocities. It will continue to carry out its mandate with independence and impartiality, in full accordance with the Rome Statute and in the interest of victims of international crimes.The ICC values the consistent demonstrations of solidarity of States Parties, civil society and all those who support the rule of law and justice for the victims of international crimes. The Court will continue its work, with all partners, to ensure the effective and independent implementation of its mandate.For more information, please contact the ICC Public Affairs Unit: PublicAffairs.Unit@icc-cpi.int. You can also follow the Court’s activities on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Flickr

While waging a murderous campaign in the Caribbean and threatening a war of aggression against Venezuela, the United States has now sanctioned two additional ICC judges for performing their judicial functions in the Palestine situation.

Gangsterism across the board.

www.icc-cpi.int/news/icc-str...

Israel strikes hit southern, eastern Lebanon in latest truce violation The continued Israeli bombardment has drawn sharp criticism from the UN, which has recorded dozens of civilian deaths.

We should stop using the term “cease fire” for this situation.

www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12...

Really enjoyed this piece by Sam Kriss about how AI writes. And it's only partially written by AI!

archive.is/2025.12.15-0...

Ep_02_Sustainable Space with Priyanka Dhopade Spotify video

Ep 2 of the Space Citizens just dropped. An awesome weaving conversation with Priyanka Dhopade about an applying engineering lens to the policy question of space sustainability. And much more. Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube open.spotify.com/episode/0t1a...

Koizumi inspects ASDF group for outer space security

The Defense Ministry is pursuing a policy to strengthen its capabilities, recognizing the growing importance of the space domain for national security.

Ep 01_Exploring Space Citizenship

@listigeplaylists.bsky.social + open.spotify.com/show/0k1rp85...

OK I am genuinely nervous about this but also excited. Just launched ep1 of my new podcast "Space Citizens" (yes the same name as my Substack newsletter). It starts with a bit of a rant, will include some awesome guests, and will probably be peppered with more rants. open.spotify.com/episode/6a4C...

"Crimes against humanity" has too many syllables. Plus it requires some acknowledgement of humanity.

Happy Birthday Artemis Accords Am I still allowed to be skeptical?

Last week's Space Citizens substack was about the Artemis Accords. Because they turned 5 years old and now have 60 signatories. I can't help still being cynical, but maybe I have to resign to the fact that this is the guiding document for lunar activities. spacecitizens.substack.com/p/happy-birt...

100%. No other comment

Exclusive U.S. Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas, nooses as hate symbols now

Sounds about reich

As is often the case with international conferences, here at #APRSAF-31 in Cebu, Philippines, we are inside an expensive resort all day. But I walk from my accommodation to the venue past those Philipinos who built and work in the resorts, and see the other side of the coin

I had no idea that's what I was looking at, thank you for pointing it out. And indeed, quite the symbol.

Heel leuk om te lezen. Ik heb op de Oudemanhuispoort gestudeerd en later gedoceerd, toen de rechtenfaculteit van de UvA er was. Ik vond het altijd leuk zo met de geschiedenis omringd te zijn. Gaaf om te leren dat er nog meer geschiedenis onder voet was

Currently flying over Taiwan towards the Philippines for #APRSAF31 - pondering the history of this mountainous island and its place in geostrategy, and thinking about just how important space is, and is becoming, in our changing geopolitical times

Intern with Lawfare! Lawfare is now accepting Spring 2026 internship applications.

Lawfare is hiring paid interns for Spring 2026! Find more information and apply here: www.lawfaremedia.org/article/inte...

Crisis as Catalyst: Past, Present, and Future of International Law To see crisis as catalyst is to reject fatalism and to believe that law can be both a shield and a compass in turbulent times.

"Progress in international law often emerges not in spite of crisis, but because of it."

William Aceves, Amity Boye, and @jesspeake.bsky.social ask: How can today's crises become opportunities for innovation?
www.justsecurity.org/122915/crisi...

Sam Altman (@sama) We made ChatGPT pretty restrictive to make sure we were being careful with mental health issues. We realize this made it less useful/enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems, but given the seriousness of the issue we wanted to get this right. Now that we have been able to mitigate the serious mental health issues and have new tools, we are going to be able to safely relax the restrictions in most cases. In a few weeks, we plan to put out a new version of ChatGPT that allows people to have a personality that behaves more like what people liked about 4o (we hope it will be better!). If you want your ChatGPT to respond in a very human-like way, or use a ton of emoji, or act like a friend, ChatGPT should do it (but only if you want it, not because we are usage-maxxing). In December, as we roll out age-gating more fully and as part of our “treat adult users like adults” principle, we will allow even more, like erotica for verified adults.

Translation: After we built an addictive tool based on stolen data, exploited labor and plundering the environment, which pushes kids to commit suicides, we were like, why not cash in on "erotica"? After all, this is what building so-called AGI that "benefits humanity" looks like.

When we recently surveyed Australians about their concerns around space - 41.9% cited the accumulation of space debris around Earth.

Yes, you are in fact an example I point to when I'm talking to students about generating authority and authenticity!

Thank you Carlton, and great to see your name again! I hope you are thriving!

This is autobiographical. But it's also an invitation to anyone who's ever dreamed of a career in space and thought it wasn't possible. My journey to space (as a space lawyer. Caveat: never actually been to space.)

substack.com/home/post/p-...

Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton indicted He's the third prominent Trump adversary to face criminal charges in recent weeks, following former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

"“There is one tier of justice for all Americans,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement after Bolton was charged. “Anyone who abuses a position of power and jeopardizes our national security will be held accountable. No one is above the law. " Look forward to quoting this one back to her