{"title":"The Importance of ALCE's Role as a Political Actor Rather Than a Coordinator of Regional Space Activities","authors":"Sandra Cabrera Alvarado","doi":"10.1016/j.spacepol.2023.101578","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (ALCE) was formally created in 2020 with the ALCE Agreement signed by 19 countries from the region. ALCE can be considered a major step towards regional integration in the space sector, driven by its members' political willingness. Nevertheless, the integration process does not finish with the signature of the agreement; it's just the start. There are many levels of integration based on previous regional integration case studies<span><span> such as Asia's Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO), African Space Agency (ASA), and most notably the most advanced European Union/European Space Agency (ESA) case. As ALCE is starting to construct a regional space ambition, the timing demands from its members how far in the integration process they want to go. From an intergovernmental organisation that only decides on cooperative technical space activities to a fullyintegrated organisation with its own regulatory framework enacting a regional </span>space policy and a regional space programme.</span></div><div>Based on the ALCE Agreement, the organisation seems to have only a cooperative role as an intermediary that fosters technical cooperation without political power. This article claims that instead ALCE should go further and seek progressively full integration by shaping a coherent regional space policy by providing the organisation with the political capacity to shape a regional space policy and space programme that addresses the needs of the region in the short-term future.</div><div><span>The article presents, firstly, the political willingness of the two forerunners of the region, Mexico and Argentina, to shape regional integration and an overview of space activities in the region. Secondly, APSCO, ASA and Europe integration/ESA cases are introduced to understand levels of integration for ALCE. Thirdly, it is explained that ALCE's benefits of higher integration, notably </span>spillovers<span> and current regional space activities, will make sure Latin America catches up in the next phase of global space activity.</span></div></div>","PeriodicalId":45924,"journal":{"name":"Space Policy","volume":"69 ","pages":"Article 101578"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Space Policy","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0265964623000450","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (ALCE) was formally created in 2020 with the ALCE Agreement signed by 19 countries from the region. ALCE can be considered a major step towards regional integration in the space sector, driven by its members' political willingness. Nevertheless, the integration process does not finish with the signature of the agreement; it's just the start. There are many levels of integration based on previous regional integration case studies such as Asia's Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO), African Space Agency (ASA), and most notably the most advanced European Union/European Space Agency (ESA) case. As ALCE is starting to construct a regional space ambition, the timing demands from its members how far in the integration process they want to go. From an intergovernmental organisation that only decides on cooperative technical space activities to a fullyintegrated organisation with its own regulatory framework enacting a regional space policy and a regional space programme.
Based on the ALCE Agreement, the organisation seems to have only a cooperative role as an intermediary that fosters technical cooperation without political power. This article claims that instead ALCE should go further and seek progressively full integration by shaping a coherent regional space policy by providing the organisation with the political capacity to shape a regional space policy and space programme that addresses the needs of the region in the short-term future.
The article presents, firstly, the political willingness of the two forerunners of the region, Mexico and Argentina, to shape regional integration and an overview of space activities in the region. Secondly, APSCO, ASA and Europe integration/ESA cases are introduced to understand levels of integration for ALCE. Thirdly, it is explained that ALCE's benefits of higher integration, notably spillovers and current regional space activities, will make sure Latin America catches up in the next phase of global space activity.
期刊介绍:
Space Policy is an international, interdisciplinary journal which draws on the fields of international relations, economics, history, aerospace studies, security studies, development studies, political science and ethics to provide discussion and analysis of space activities in their political, economic, industrial, legal, cultural and social contexts. Alongside full-length papers, which are subject to a double-blind peer review system, the journal publishes opinion pieces, case studies and short reports and, in so doing, it aims to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and opinions and a means by which authors can alert policy makers and international organizations to their views. Space Policy is also a journal of record, reproducing, in whole or part, official documents such as treaties, space agency plans or government reports relevant to the space community. Views expressed in the journal are not necessarily those of the editors or members of the editorial board.