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Originally Posted by Webstral
I’m genuinely at a loss as to whether he believes what he’s saying or whether it’s all part of operating within his niche.
Many of my countrymen take issue with the UN. Some of the given reasons represent very reasonable concerns. Some of the given reasons are pure poppycock. Most of the given reasons have various ratios of legitimacy and poppycockedness. I have some issues the UN, but this isn’t the occasion to go into them. As a vehicle for supporting and managing lunar development, the UN is the best available choice for keeping the Moon from becoming either an Antarctica (a scientific preserve virtually bereft of commercial development) or a Wild West (a virtual free-for-all in which the rule of law frequently is observed through its breach). A lunar Antarctica will not deliver the resources humanity very much needs at this juncture in history, while a lunar Wild West will reward the wealthy and aggressive in the short term and probably lead to the militarization of space as the wealthy players attempt to secure by force of arms what the power of law has failed to secure. If the UN is the agency that authorizes a lunar colonial government, then the big investors who will naturally want to manipulate the system to secure advantages for themselves (and themselves only) will have a much bigger task than corrupting the government of some economically supine banana republic. At the same time, there will be an opportunity for every nation to both participate in creating the charter for the lunar colonial government (LCG) and in receiving the benefits thereof. Every nation will have a chance to have a voice in the formulation of the rules for developing lunar resources. Equal access to lunar resources through the LCG will enable all nations with corporations capable of assembling capital to participate in an orderly lunar gold rush. Nations incapable of participating directly in development of the resources nevertheless will benefit from disbursement of tax revenues and participation in the charter-building and monitoring process. Truculent nations (though wishing to impede the process for a variety of reasons) can be managed by parliamentary procedure. Nations engaging in warfare not sanctioned by the UN, genocide, or crimes against humanity would lose their access to disbursements from the taxation of lunar enterprises.
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The Antarctic model would seem the best way for any future colonisation of the Moon and other heavenly objects, but if private industry gets involved expect trouble.