Are New Technologies Undermining the Laws of War?

Lasrick writes "This is a great read — from the article: 'Today, emerging military technologies — including unmanned aerial vehicles, directed-energy weapons, lethal autonomous robots, and cyber weapons — raise the prospect of upheavals in military practice so fundamental that they challenge assumptions underlying long-established international laws of war, particularly those relating to the primacy of the state and the geographic bounds of warfare. But the laws of war have been developed over a long period, with commentary and input from many cultures. What would seem appropriate in this age of extraordinary technological change, the author concludes, is a reconsideration of the laws of war in a deliberate and focused international dialogue that includes a range of cultural and institutional perspectives.'"

Comments

Re:Arbitrary.

[AmiMoJo]

The real problem is that the US doesn't recognize many of the international rules of war and does not abide by them. The US is also the one developing much of this new military technology.

The US not recognizing or obeying the rules also gives other nations an excuse to ignore them, especially if they see the US as an opponent.