This book is the outcome of a long professional and intellectual journey shaped by sustained engagement with government, diplomacy, and technology. Over more than two decades, my work has spanned public service, the telecommunications and ICT sector, and, more recently, the space industry. These experiences provided not only practical exposure to international relations and soft power but also a close view of how states project influence, build trust, and cooperate in emerging strategic domains.
Returning to formal academic research after many years of professional practice was both challenging and transformative. It required a fundamental shift in perspective—from policy execution and operational decision-making to analytical inquiry grounded in theory, evidence, and comparative reasoning. Developing the discipline to engage systematically with academic literature, to construct and defend arguments, and to situate practical experience within broader theoretical debates was a demanding but deeply rewarding process.
The research that underpins this book was also conducted during a period of global disruption. The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped professional and academic routines alike, reinforcing the importance of adaptability, persistence, and long-term vision. Despite these constraints, the process of reflection, writing, and analysis clarified the central questions that animate this work: how states build trust in an increasingly complex international system, and how emerging domains—such as space—can serve as platforms for cooperation rather than confrontation.
This book reflects a core lesson learned throughout this journey: meaningful research requires structure, patience, and coherence across its different stages. Time constraints inevitably limit the scope of any single study, yet they also sharpen priorities and force clarity of purpose. While additional dimensions of space diplomacy and state trust remain open for future exploration, the analysis presented here aims to contribute a coherent and policy-relevant framework for understanding how space diplomacy can support trust-building among states.
Ultimately, this work represents both a professional milestone and an intellectual commitment to advancing scholarship and policy thinking in the fields of diplomacy, soft power, and space cooperation. It is offered in the spirit of dialogue—between theory and practice, between regions, and between states seeking cooperative pathways in an increasingly contested global environment.
Related Publications
