Space diplomacy

I'm Sheena Chestnut-Greitens, editor-in-chief, and I'm here today with our executive editor, Dr. Ryan Best.

We're pleased to have joining us today the authors of the article, Choosing Orbits, China's Space Diplomacy in the Middle East.

Lawrence Rubin is Associate Professor at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Co-Director of the GTDC Pathways to Policy Program, and Associate Fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Lincoln Hines is Assistant Professor at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Wilson China Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center.

I'd like to dig into that just a little bit deeper.

In the article, you use the idea of hybrid alignment to describe how small and medium powers balance their ties against established rising powers like China.

How does space cooperation fit into the broader alignment strategy and how does China's space diplomacy in North Africa and the Middle East connect to the Belt and Road Initiative, the Space Silk Road and the Space Information Corridor?

So first of all, I'll note this concept of hybrid alignment.