What if string theory has no de Sitter vacua?

Abstract

We present a brief overview of attempts to construct de Sitter vacua in string theory and explain how the results of this 20-year endeavor could point to the fact that string theory harbors no de Sitter vacua at all. Making such a statement is often considered controversial and "bad news for string theory". We discuss how perhaps the opposite can be true.

Comments: 30 +9 pages, 1 figure, v2: references added