R14: Anti-Imperialism: To Infinity and Beyond

The persistence of unilateral territorial annexation and occupation
undermines the fundamental principles of international law and territorial
integrity and should be considered forms of imperialism.

The unjust extraction of wealth from nations, characterised by the
commandeering of resources and the imposition of exploitative lending
practices that create cycles of perpetual debt should also be considered
forms of imperialism.

The systematic subversion of sovereign agency, where external powers
impose governance structures, legal frameworks, or political ideologies
upon nations without the people’s democratic consent should be considered
a form of imperialism.

The emergence of market dominion and knowledge production and capture
including property, data, and critical technologies can be considered
contemporary mechanisms of imperial control.¹

Examples of such actions include Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022,²
Israel’s Genocide against Palestine in 2023, The United States kidnapping
of Venezuelan President Maduro in 2026, The United States launching of
maximum pressure 2.0 against Cuba in 2026.

The Cold War never ended, and the Space Race rages on. It is one branch of
a model of international diplomacy which pits East and West blocs against
each other, undermining solidarity, perpetuating a climate of tension, and
precluding real global safety and security.

Space exploration of late has been increasingly protagonised by individual
entrepreneurs whose business interests are deeply ingrained in global
practices of exploitation. For example, Elon Musk holds a growing monopoly
on the technologies being deployed for space exploration and
telecommunications,⁴ and Jeff Bezos is set to weigh in with thousands of
satellite launches planned for 2027.⁵ So much power in the hands of such
individuals, rather than accountable institutions, is cause for concern,
especially where a capacity to enact surveillance is concerned.

Space junk, the pollution of the atmosphere by discarded tools, machinery,
or satellites, is not only creating greater risk to legitimate space
research: this extra-terrestrial littering is also a moral abomination and
could only become more dangerous owing to Kessler Syndrome.⁶ That the
exploitative industrial activities of humanity (and especially the Global
North) have caused deep harm to ecosystems on Earth is well proven: it
cannot be that the same attitude of use, misuse, and disrespect spills
over planetary boundaries.

Space tourism such as that touted by Space X and Blue Horizon, which
masquerades as peak human curiosity and empowerment manifest, is nothing
more than a painful cliché. Look no further than the 2025 all-female
voyage, which showcased the ultimate parody of progressive feminism.⁷

Techno-optimism and denial is fuelling space exploration projects
suggesting a future for humanity outside Earth. The belief that humans
will be able to escape before it becomes uninhabitable because of the
cumulative effects of climate change is a betrayal of our role as a
steward species in our ecosystems.⁸ It is also, of course, a complete
fallacy, an elite fantasy, a sci-fi project for the richest, it is
fiddling while Rome burns.

As is often the case with techno-optimism and denial, space exploration
projects which purport to find humanity a new home outside of Earth are
perpetuated by a feedback loop of its own creation. In this case, mining
for rare earth minerals, the risk of conflict brought about by resource
competition, and the disdain for the intrinsic dignity of human lives
implicit in its supply chain as ever divided by the Global North and
South, all serve to create the unstable planetary conditions which make
the project justifiable.⁹ Mining of this sort is a desecration of human
and more-than-human life. Imperialism is rife at every layer of the
phenomenon.

Unregulated activity in space also runs the risk of further compounding
the alteration of planetary ecosystems that characterises the Anthropocene
age. The exponential growth in satellite launches are reported to be
increasing light pollution from space,¹⁰ while the predicted
‘commercialisation’ of space could see increased gas emissions and dumping
of rocket parts in the ocean.¹¹

The models of relationships between humans and their more-than-human
friends and neighbours on Earth and beyond which are able to justify the
disrespect of planetary and extra-planetary ecosystems are not fit for
purpose in a world of mutual thriving.

True global stability is only achievable through respect for the sovereign
agency of all nation-states regardless of their economic or military
stature.

Economic relationships must be predicated on mutual benefit and
transparency rather than predatory debt-trap diplomacy or coercion.

Knowledge and technology should serve as tools for mutual thriving rather
than instruments of structural exclusion or subjugation.

Anti-imperialism is not just a stance, but an active commitment to
dismantling systems of unilateral dominance in all their forms.

International institutions and actions should be formed and regulated by
the global community as a whole, rather than dominated by a geopolitical
oligarchy of select superpowers that seek to present themselves as the
sole legitimate authority.

Outer Space is the common heritage of humankind and any attempt to
colonise, militarise, or privatise celestial resources constitutes a
dangerous frontier of imperial expansion.

Research must at all times be ethically justified on Earth: the same must
go for Space. Space exploration which intends to imbue a sense of wonder
at the universe can enhance a human’s sense of their place within the
cosmos. However, wonder and appreciation for the beautiful strangeness of
an extra-planetary space or phenomenon must not be justified or destined
to justify the colonisation of that space.¹²

Access to information and internet connectivity must not come at the cost
of obligatory consent to surveillance.

Monopolies in any kind of industry serve only to destabilise.

The night’s sky is sacred and must remain that way.

Support knowledge sharing – Devise and implement policies that prioritise
‘open’ learning initiatives and localisation of technology.

Sanction unilateralism – advocate for diplomatic frameworks that trigger
immediate consequences for any nation attempting to commit acts of
imperialism.

Condemn all ongoing and future forms of imperialism and call for an
immediate end to any support or cooperation with states engaged in
imperialism or oppression. Furthermore, we urge the EU to sever all
economic and political relations with states that violate human rights,
including the full repeal of the EU–Israel Association Agreement.

Engage in the active protection of multilateral institutions and explore
measures for enforcement.

Promote resource sovereignty – Advocate for transparency standards for
multi-national corporations to ensure extraction of raw materials provides
fair compensation and investment to the host community.

Encourage oversight of trade and loan agreements: Establishing a
commission to review such agreements for exploitative clauses that
compromise a nation’s long-term fiscal autonomy. Moreover, encourage the
restructuring of international institutions to provide low-interest credit
facilities that prioritise developmental stability over external market
access.

Codify space equity – Demand the strengthening of international space
treaties to explicitly prohibit the private or unilateral ownership of
lunar or planetary soil and ensure that any benefits of space exploration
are shared with all nations.

Regulate orbital and lunar resources – Ensure resources extractions in
space will follow the same ethical and distributive standards as on earth.

Review of workings of International Relations, namely permanent membership
and veto powers held by the permanent members of the United Nations
Security Council.

Focus our Party energy and efforts on addressing injustices on Earth,
recognising when space exploration projects are explicitly or implicitly
designated to provide a ‘Planet B’ and condemning those as distraction
tactics.

Call for a transparent cost-benefit analysis of Space exploration
projects, as well as further research on the environmental costs of rocket
launches.

Apply an anti-imperialist lens in our analysis of space exploration
projects, calling out the colonist mindset wherever it arises.

Defer to indigenous models of human relationships with our ecosystems as
leading models of interspecies reconciliation desperately needed as part
of the Global North’s responsibility to tackle the climate and
biodiversity crisis it has created and guide the purpose and scope of
research beyond the Earth.