Some people don’t want to hear this, but we’re going to fight in space. We’re going to fight from space, and we’re going to fight into space.   ~Joseph W. Ashy, Commander-in-Chief of US Strategic Command

This month, Colorado 9/11 Visibility will present Pax Americana and the Weaponization of Space.  (Denis Delestrac, France/Canada, 2010, 85 minutes. Award winning documentary at 11 international film festivals.)

Film Description:

Star Wars is no longer science fiction.

The prospect of Earth being ruled from space is no longer science fiction. The dream of the original Dr. Strangelove, Wernher von Braun (from Nazi rocket-scientist to NASA director), has survived every US administration since WW2 and is coming to life. Today the technology exists to weaponize space, a massive American industry thrives, and nations are maneuvering for advantage.

Pax Americana tackles this pivotal moment. Are war machines already orbiting Earth? Can treaties keep space weapons-free? Must the world capitulate to one super-cop on the global beat?

With startling archival footage (especially of Operation Paperclip) and unprecedented access to US Air Force Space Command, this elegant, forceful documentary reveals the state of play through generals, space-policy analysts, politicians, diplomats, peace activists, and hawks.

The question we must ask ourselves along with the film makers: Must we have a Pax Americana based on the failed attempts of past empires, or are we able to work toward a Pax Universalis, in which there is a world community of self-determining nations helping each other grow and prosper?

If we move to the weaponization of space, we can bid farewell to the planet. The chances of survival are very slight.  ~Noam Chomsky (quote from the film) [Read more…]