The problem is these joint scientific efforts were and continue to be effective tools to diffuse more dangerous possibilities.
In case you have forgotten Russia is still the 2nd largest nuclear power and their arsenal is enough to eliminate pretty much all life on Earth.
The war in Ukraine is terrible but don't underestimate how much worse things could get. If things do get worse it's back channels like space collaboration/UN/other symbolic things that can keep people talking enough to not end up cleansing the Earth in nuclear fire. Just because those things are ineffective at stopping a proxy war doesn't mean they aren't worth doing.
For the same reason I also agree that China should be welcomed into the international space community. They are flying state of the art rockets and have their own modern space station... you couple that with the fact they too are an increasingly powerful military nation then more collaboration rather than less is the way to go.
I highly disagree about Russia being a modern nuclear power. China and Israel are really the only countries that have the modern infrastructure required to maintain significant nuclear presences other than the US. Russia today is mostly living off of the remnants of pre-1985 Soviet energy infrastructure investments.
They have some nuclear capability, but it's far, far below what the US still maintains. Sadly even a reduced capacity is still far above what's needed to mess things up.
> I highly disagree about Russia being a modern nuclear power
Look, I'm as pissed at Russia as anyone but it doesn't change the facts. They are indisputably a modern nuclear power, and they have ramped up their spending in recent years. It's practically the only thing in their defense they haven't starved of funds.
> They have some nuclear capability
They don't have "some" nuclear capability. They are equal first or near enough.
> China and Israel are really the only countries that have the modern infrastructure
Israel!?? Now I'm really questioning your source of information. Whoever told you tiny Israel was anything other than dead last was leading you quite astray, I'm afraid. In fact some would say that Israel's nuclear capability is behind some other countries who don't even possess the weapons.
Shame about those free-minded people; everyone else understands that it's how the world works and why everything isn't on fire. MAD is the foundation of international politics; everything else is role-playing on top of it.
MAD is a religion-like fiction by-for people who emotionally need it. People armed with nuclear weapons are coming for us, whether it's emotionally convenient for you or not. And it doesn't matter whether we have nukes, too.
In case you have forgotten Russia is still the 2nd largest nuclear power and their arsenal is enough to eliminate pretty much all life on Earth.
The war in Ukraine is terrible but don't underestimate how much worse things could get. If things do get worse it's back channels like space collaboration/UN/other symbolic things that can keep people talking enough to not end up cleansing the Earth in nuclear fire. Just because those things are ineffective at stopping a proxy war doesn't mean they aren't worth doing.
For the same reason I also agree that China should be welcomed into the international space community. They are flying state of the art rockets and have their own modern space station... you couple that with the fact they too are an increasingly powerful military nation then more collaboration rather than less is the way to go.