ISS amid global conflict: A rare bastion of 'scientific collaboration' between the East and West

Home Shows Spotlight To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Cover image: © France 24 12:10 Issued on: 13/10/2026 - 19:53Modified: 13/10/2026 - 20:07 From the show François Picard is pleased to welcome Alban Guyomarc'h, Researcher in Space Geopolitics at Paris's École Normale Supérieure School of Higher Learning. As a new era of space rivalry unfolds, the International Space Station remains one of the last bastions of cooperation between geopolitical adversaries. For Guyomarc'h, the latest ISS mission is more than a remarkable technological achievement. "It's one of the rare collaboration spaces we still have today in a very conflictual era". He describes the ISS as a historic bridge between East and West. Guyomarc'h examines the emotional experience of returning from orbit, the geopolitical implications of the ISS's planned retirement, and the intensifying competition to establish a permanent presence on the Moon. From nuclear-powered lunar infrastructure to the growing strategic importance of space, his analysis reveals a central paradox: as humanity acquires unprecedented capabilities to explore beyond Earth, the political foundations of cooperation in space appear increasingly fragile. Video by: