During the Clinton administration, which policy change defined peaceful purposes to include intelligence-related activities?

• A. He was worried that weaponizing space would anger Moscow leading to another Cold War.
• B. He wanted to abide by the ABM treaty and the peaceful uses of space constraints established in international space law.
• C. He was an arms control advocate who wanted a treaty banning ASATs.
• D. He wanted to use the money for a new long-range bomber instead.

Answer: (B)

The key idea is how space policy defines “peaceful uses.” International space law, including the Outer Space Treaty and related agreements, frames space activities as peaceful and allows national security and scientific uses that don’t weaponize space. During the Clinton years, a shift focused on interpreting peaceful purposes to cover intelligence-related activities conducted with space assets, while still operating within treaty constraints. This is why tying the change to abiding by the ABM treaty and the peaceful-use constraints from international space law best captures the move: it shows working within established treaties and broadening what counts as peaceful—to include intelligence gathering via space systems—rather than pursuing outright space weaponization, banning ASATs, or funding other weapons programs.