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Cris van Eijk

@crisveijk.bsky.social

1.5K followers 1.4K following 740 posts

International law, the (space) commons, and how they're made. PhD @newcastleuni.bsky.social | 🇺🇸🇳🇱🏳️‍🌈 | 🔊: krɪs van aɪk | he/him https://www.ncl.ac.uk/law/research/students/current-pgr-students/cristian-van-eijk/

www.ncl.ac.uk

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Cris van Eijk @crisveijk.bsky.social · Jan 30

Excited to share my new article, 'The Exclusive Making of Space Law', just published in Leiden Journal of International Law. This article took 3 weeks to write the first draft, but 3 years to finalise, and I'm grateful to everyone who helped me along the way.

doi.org/10.1017/S0922156524000554

The exclusive making of space law | Leiden Journal of International Law | Cambridge Core

The exclusive making of space law

doi.org

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Cris van Eijk @crisveijk.bsky.social · 38m

Also, the first Columbus Day was inaugurated two months after the Apollo 11 Moon landings, after ~15 years of direct, heavy, and intentional references to Columbus by US and allied actors, across space discourse.

Dr. Cara Berg Powers @clbergpowers.bsky.social · 55m

This is true and important, and also, much like confederate monuments erected as backlash to Reconstruction and the Civil Rights Movement, Columbus Day is about crafting a specific cultural narrative, specifically in this case, a fascist aligned one commonwealthbeacon.org/arts-and-cul...

Cris van Eijk @crisveijk.bsky.social · 13h

something something white coloniality eventually recreating what it tries to erase, but worse and sad.

thank god layered stories are just fine when it's the ~250 year old accounts of a particular national subprofession, and clearly unreliable if based on 50,000 years of memory by a whole people!!

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Cris van Eijk @crisveijk.bsky.social · 14h

How awkward: even the particular meaning of law he centers *also* used oral accounts as reliable. And ofc, his law *still* transmits legal meaning / assesses competence via stories, which is why so many Anglos can shorthand 'negligence' via The Saga of Donoghue and the Snail.

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Cris van Eijk @crisveijk.bsky.social · 14h

"common lawyers of [12th c] England... invented the Latin word recordum and used it to indicate a judge’s oral testimony of judgements made in the proceedings of a court... in the [13th c] the term recordum... came to be applied to their written successors."

impactum-journals.uc.pt/boletimauc/a...

Archives, records, and information | Boletim do Arquivo da Universidade de Coimbra

impactum-journals.uc.pt

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Cris van Eijk @crisveijk.bsky.social · 16h

Oh, and since that tw*tter thread is on Link's syllabus for his Howard Uni Space Law course that I lecture at every year: Free Link!!

Cris van Eijk @crisveijk.bsky.social · 16h

Like, the way P.L. Prattis (writing in the Pittsburgh Courier, 23 Dec 1961) frames space as antiracism as democracy as geopolitical critique is absolute poetry!!

1 of 3 screenshots of 'Horizons' by P.L. Prattis, writing in the Pittsburgh Courier on 23 Dec 1961.

Horizon
By P. L. Prattis
Outer Space

"MORE AND MORE as the years descend upon me, I become concerned with the nature or this white man with whom I live and must have my being. Long, long ago, he caused me to distrust him. I needed little sense of discernment to discover that where I was concerned, the ideals professed by whites meant little. There has always been a minority of whites who are true Christians and include me in their devotion to the Golden Rule.

But I know that there is larger group which doesn't, and that the largest segment or whites is unconcerned about me and my people."

"Even so, I'll get by. At present, I am thinking of the efforts to line up nations in the United Nations to take a position that no nation should have a special claim in Outer space."

"Thus, whatever values outer space may have to Russia should be shared with us and all other nations. There must be no Monroe Doctrine in outer space. "Who gets there fastest with the mostest" must have no application to outer space. The assumption, of course, is that if we had discovered that our exploration of outer space gave us certain advantages over Russia, we would share these advantages with all other nations, just like we did not do with the atom bomb."

"I cannot buy such an assumption. I know that WHITE MAN, the Anglo-Saxon American, will take what he calls a "tech" wherever he can find one."

Thus, when I try to use a so-called white waiting room at a bus stop in Alabama or Mississippi, I'll be arrested and thrown into jail for "breach of peace." Or, in most sections in Maryland, if I seek food in a public restaurant, I'll be seized and jailed for trespassing. This is a pure dodge and technicality. But this is how MY WHITE MAN works. He takes advantage of all existing "techs" to have his way, and if he does not have any ready-made "techs," he hastens to the legislature to fabricate some.

So, anti-Communist though I am, I think Senator Eastland will find me grinning when Adlai Stevenson tries to induce the United Nations to adopt our outer space objectives.

If Russia leaches the moon first, we don't want her to stake out a claim. Of course, this is a diversionary tactic. If we reach the Moon first, we'll change our minds - all of a sudden convincing ourselves that it is our God-given responsibility to establish democracy on the moon. I go along with that."

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Cris van Eijk @crisveijk.bsky.social · 16h

Eg this below; see also a bunch of great Black newspaper sources threaded/alt texted on the hellsite (x.com/crisveijk/st...)

bsky.app/profile/cris...

Cris van Eijk @crisveijk.bsky.social · 13d

This event is 63 years to the day after Hazem Zaki Nuseibeh, Rep of Jordan & proud Palestinian, spoke to the UNGA.

First, about space & the need for law - but law as pathway to justice, as right over might. Then, he moved directly to what that would mean for Palestine.

docs.un.org/en/A/PV.1138

UNGA, ‘Verbatim Record of the 1138th Meeting’ (1 Oct 1962) A/PV.1138, 239-240

“10. But of more immediate and lasting significance than exploration and control of outer space is our ability to control our inner selves, to make this planet a place worthy of decent and friendly habitation. And it is here in this hall that we meet in what is the most encompassing parliament of nations, to lay down the foundations for peace, goodwill and co-operation among nations. If we should fail in this pivotal task, then all the efforts which are being expended in various fields will have been of no avail, with the threat of extinction continuing to hover menacingly over our fates.”
“11. But world peace cannot be achieved by pious hopes or even under the compulsion of fear or the instinctive desire for survival. Any such assumption would be a serious misreading not only of history, but of the inner springs of human motivation and behaviour. For there will always be differences and conflicts so long as human beings are what they are. What is imperative is that these conflicts and differences be dealt with and resolved in accordance with norms, procedures and attitudes that are just, equitable and commanding of universal acceptance and respect; it is essentially the rule of law, rather than the unruly whims or interests of any particular group. This has been the function and the achievement of domestic law in national societies. It is our challenge to make it equally applicable in the field of international relations.”
“12. The question now is: How can the Unite Nations work out a modus vivendi which would bring it as close as possible to a universally acceptable rule of law?”

“17. As I address you, my mind irresistibly wanders several thousand miles away to where my countrymen – men, women and children, in town and in village, in refugee camps and in forced dispersal under every sky – have endured their suffering for fourteen long years. They are suffering morally, psychologically and physically, day in and day out, before the very eyes of the United Nations and, ironically, at a period which we boast to be the era of mankind's greatest emancipation.”
“18. It would be redundant for me to restate the facts of the case, for there is hardly any other problem which has been discussed as thoroughly or as repeatedly during the past years; and yet, there is hardly any other case where less positive action has been taken.”
“19. My countrymen, simple honest folks, are somewhat confused and bewildered by the snarls and the tangles with which a seemingly straightforward case has been side-tracked and shrouded, and I would be less than honest to them, or to you, if I did not restore the problem to its true, simple essentials.”
“20. The truth of the problem is that here is a people – an ancient and homogeneous people – who have in the twentieth century not only been denied the right to self-government or self-determination, but even the right to exist in the homeland in which their forefathers have lived and died from time immemorial. They have been uprooted to make room for a conglomeration of alien peoples from all corners of the earth, having different backgrounds, different traditions, different languages and different races, and claiming to be united on the sole ground of professing the same religious faith. What a disservice to a great religion that its name should be used for such unholy and irreligious ends; for a blatant aggression against the very existence of another people.”

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Cris van Eijk @crisveijk.bsky.social · 16h

And they need to understand that the reason we don't intuit that today is because many people *used to*, and then came a lot of narrative and discursive work to make sure we don't find those momentums. Momenta? Anyway.

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Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 1d

antifascist and anti-capitalist organizers need to understand space as one site of struggle because our opposition definitely understand it as one

IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 2d

Low Earth orbit is filling up. Not just with #satellites, but also with dangerous, tumbling debris. As they collide, they multiply. If we do nothing, satellites will crash, creating chaos on Earth below. Meet the people trying to prevent this disaster. spectrum.ieee.org/kessler-synd...

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Cris van Eijk @crisveijk.bsky.social · 18h

Yeah, the main text pretends to hide its register of otherwise-transparent soft colonial land grab... but the footnotes aka the *literal subtext* is entirely military strategy and critical mineral extraction studies. What the actual hell.

Cris van Eijk @crisveijk.bsky.social · 18h

HM, what parts of Indigenous histories would make *this* two-secton part, in which both sections are titled "Voluntary Relocation", EXTREMELY suspect? 😬

Voluntary Relocation: A Path to Greater Opportunity

Any serious proposal for Greenland’s integration into the United States must place the welfare, agency, and future prosperity of Greenlanders at the forefront. The transition from Danish rule to US governance would bring profound changes, both in terms of administration and economic opportunities. Some Greenlanders may wish to remain in their homeland, benefiting from infrastructure investments and modernization, while others may seek to relocate to the US mainland in pursuit of broader educational and professional prospects. Respecting this diversity of aspirations requires a policy framework that prioritizes voluntary choice, economic empowerment, and cultural preservation.

Voluntary Relocation: A Path to Greater Opportunity

For Greenlanders who choose to relocate to the United States, a structured, well-funded resettlement program would be essential. Learning from past models— both their successes and pitfalls—such as federal relocation programs for Native Alaskans and Pacific Islanders in US territories, Greenlanders would be offered comprehensive support, including financial incentives, housing assistance, and expedited residency status. This policy would ensure that relocation is an informed and voluntary decision rather than an economic necessity.

A voluntary relocation program should provide direct grants covering travel, housing, and initial living expenses for families establishing themselves in the continental United States. Upon integration, Greenlanders would automatically receive US citizenship, granting them full legal protections, access to federal benefits, and-"

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Cris van Eijk @crisveijk.bsky.social · 18h

"Greetings, 92% Indiginous (Kalaallit) population of this place we publicly threatened with invasion. Would you be interested in a Standard of Civilisation, friends? We would so like to GIVE you one, if you'd like-"

"We could build you *trains* and *roads*-"

... Like do they not hear themselves?!

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Reposted by Cris van Eijk

Ify Nwadiwe @ifycomedy.com · 1d

I think we really should stop using antifa and just fully say anti-fascist and get them saying they are against anti fascism. Using antifa is giving them some distance and I genuinely think some of their base don’t even know that’s what it stands for.

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Cris van Eijk @crisveijk.bsky.social · 1d

So I dunno if you caught Brendan Carr's speech last week, but it closed with a bit that, uh, well I'm gonna go past 'bold' into 'flatly divorced from reality'...

Excerpt from the end of a speech by FCC Chair Brendan Carr on 6 Oct 2025:

"I’d like to close with this. I spoke earlier about how the White House just designated space innovation as one of the nation’s five most important R&D priorities. There is something else about this initiative that I think speaks to this moment. The Trump Administration’s position on R&D is not just that it needs to be more targeted, but that it needs to be more ambitious.

America’s scientists often spend 40% of their time doing paperwork on grant applications, rather than direct research. And the new grant applications they work on are too often aimed at what will get funded rather than what could have the biggest impact. University of Chicago professor James Evans summed up our problem nicely. He wrote: “Too many projects get funding because they are probable. But science moves forward one improbability at a time.”

The United States of America is the greatest country in human history, because, like no other nation, risk-taking is in our DNA. As Americans, we imagine the impossible and then make it real.

After being too timid for too long, America is finally getting its mojo back. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are entering a Golden Age of innovation in space, and we are looking to The Gundo to play a crucial role.

Think about it. “Moonshot” is the most popular metaphor for our most ambitious endeavors. For this crowd, moonshots are what you do on a Tuesday. You are pushing boundaries like Americans always have. Please know that you have committed partners at the FCC and in Washington who are doing everything we can to make your next big breakthroughs possible.

Thank you again for hosting me today. I look forward to learning from the panel discussion to come."

Cris van Eijk @crisveijk.bsky.social · 2d

Horizons and futures are fun and all, but... there's *gold* in them there hills!!

Cris van Eijk @crisveijk.bsky.social · 2d

Totally unrelated, but the word 'prospect' expanded from meaning either "to look out/forward [at distance]" and "to foresee/expect" to also (and mainly) mean "to explore in search of mineral deposits" in 1848 California. 🙃

Cris van Eijk @crisveijk.bsky.social · 2d

Link.

C. L. Polk @clpolk.blacksky.app · 2d

Link.

《 B4D SOUP 》 @machturtl.wearybones.rest · 2d

Link.

Cris van Eijk @crisveijk.bsky.social · 2d

The polar and moral opposite to what happened to tiki torches in August 2017.

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Cris van Eijk @crisveijk.bsky.social · 2d

Seriously!!

Cris van Eijk @crisveijk.bsky.social · 3d

And for Marco Rubio, who supported her nomination in a letter just last year: www.rickscott.senate.gov/services/fil...

I hope he has a good day arriving to his four simultaneous leadership roles. Has a Cabinet member ever lost four jobs at once?

www.rickscott.senate.gov

Reposted by Cris van Eijk

London Review of Books @lrb.co.uk · 3d

‘A succession of prime ministers persuaded themselves that their country was somehow different from the rest: it could pick and choose from the menu of European options in the way that suited it best. They were all mistaken.’

David Runciman on the road to Brexit: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

David Runciman · Down the Rabbit Hole: Britain’s Europe Problem

From Macmillan to Wilson to Heath to Thatcher to Major to Blair to Cameron, a succession of prime ministers persuaded...

www.lrb.co.uk

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Reposted by Cris van Eijk

Jonathan Birch @birchlse.bsky.social · 3d

The Nobel committee is always playing 3D chess. Giving the prize to Obama in 2009 looked idiotic but 16 years later it's caused a US president to think about peace for almost an entire week.

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Reposted by Cris van Eijk

Cris van Eijk @crisveijk.bsky.social · 3d

Marco Rubio might lose 4 jobs at once, which must be a record.

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Cris van Eijk @crisveijk.bsky.social · 3d

Marco Rubio might lose 4 jobs at once, which must be a record.

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Cris van Eijk @crisveijk.bsky.social · 3d