In the 1997 film Tomorrow Never Dies, one of the most far-fetched James Bond movies ever made, Pierce Brosnan’s 007 fights a megalomaniac international media baron determined to boost the fortunes of his satellite news empire by starting a war between China and the West.
Nonetheless, some may have been reminded of this ludicrous plot a few days ago when a former Pentagon official warned that a not-entirely dissimilar scenario – involving a mercurial tech king, his satellite empire, and a major war (though not one by design) – is playing out in the real world.
According to Colin Kahl, who served as US Undersecretary of Defense for Policy until July, Elon Musk recently considered pulling his Starlink satellite network from Ukraine – a move that would have devastating consequences on the beleaguered nation’s war effort.
