Partners in Space

Susan Eisenhower Speaks to US - Russia Business Council

Susan Eisenhower was the guest speaker at a luncheon briefing held by the U.S.-Russia Business Council. She was invited to discuss the diplomatic, economic, and commercial implications of US-Russian space cooperation discussed in her book, Partners in Space: U.S.-Russian Cooperation After the Cold War. The audience included international and local business leaders, Russian embassy officials, trade representatives, and various private and civil aerospace engineers. The luncheon served as a platform for a discussion of current trends in U.S.-Russian cooperation, nuclear nonproliferation efforts, and future joint aerospace engagements.

Described as "a unique bridge between the United States and Russia," by Eugene Lawson, president of the U.S.-Russia Business Council, Eisenhower is best known for her expertise on Russia and the former Soviet Union. Her book, Partners in Space, explores the lessons to be learned from the U.S.-Russian cooperation in the International Space Station program. The work details the origins of the improbable partnership and how the world's two elite superpowers rose above their past Cold War nationalistic grievances in order to construct one of the world's most stunning engineering accomplishments.

At the luncheon, Eisenhower discussed how this successful "engagement between two equal technological partners" stands as a model for future cooperative efforts between the two states. Surmising that strong U.S.-Russian ties are in America's best security interests, Eisenhower acknowledged the fact that current cooperative endeavors are being conducted in a drastically different social, political, and economic milieu and that bilateral relations have recently become somewhat strained, especially in the realm of nuclear nonproliferation.

Eisenhower expressed her concern that current U.S. efforts in the realm of nuclear nonproliferation, especially in the field of Russian-Iranian cooperation and the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000, may not be as constructive and beneficial as it was intended to be. She conveyed the need for current lawmakers to enhance our nation's national security policy and, in the same hand, maintain leadership in the aerospace, telecommunications, and satellite industries. Eisenhower suggested that U.S. initiatives need to "enhance both understanding and access" and offered the successes of the International Space Station as a test case for cooperative efforts in dual-use technologies.

Aside from the subject of nonproliferation, Eisenhower also addressed the intricate and thorny issue of recent Chinese overtures in space. She asserted that several advantages could be derived by increasing U.S.-Chinese ties but hesitated to encourage a complete engagement in space relations, citing the current technological advantage of the U.S. aerospace industry. Remarking that "nothing is a foregone conclusion" at this point, Eisenhower cautioned against unrestrained escalating relations between the two countries.

During a question and answer session following the briefing, Eisenhower also touched upon several other conclusions of her book, including the benefits cooperation has had on the transparency of the Russian aerospace sectors, as well as the Americans' mistaken underestimation of Russian safety culture. Calling attention to the achievements of the International Space Station, Eisenhower stressed the notion that the interdependence of the United States and Russia has become vital to American national security interests and that this integral dynamic can truly be cultivated under the auspices of mutual technological advancement.