According to Dolman, what warning should policymakers heed regarding a recurring historical pattern in space exploration?

• A. This has been this historical pattern, so policymakers ignore it at their peril.
• B. We will have to exploit the cosmos, because, sooner or later, Earth's resources will be exhausted.
• C. Space exploration will provoke hostile reactions from other civilizations in the galaxy.
• D. Unless the United States raises taxes significantly, it will lack the economic wherewithal to explore and exploit the cosmos.

Answer: (A)

Historically, new frontiers tend to become arenas for strategic competition and the accumulation of power, with nations rushing to establish advantages, sometimes through militarization or early dominance. Dolman emphasizes that this pattern repeats across eras, and policymakers should pay close attention rather than assume space will unfold peacefully or predictably. The warning is that if leaders ignore this recurrence, they risk being caught off guard by a similar cycle in space—rivalries, rapid capability development, and strategic maneuvering that could undermine security and stability.

That’s why the best choice frames the idea as a recurring historical pattern and cautions policymakers to heed it or face consequences. The other options propose different motivations or outcomes—not the repeated-pattern warning Dolman highlights—such as exploitation due to resource limits, reactions from hypothetical alien civilizations, or domestic tax policy, which aren’t the focus of this particular warning.