“Friend of Humans”: An Argument for Developing Autonomous Weapons Systems

Toscano reviews the state of autonomous robotic technology on the modern battlefield, in both its current and anticipated instances. He suggests that existing legal frameworks in international humanitarian law and the laws of war are equipped to deal with this novel form of weaponry. Friend of Humans

“On Target”: Precision & Balance in the Contemporary Law of Targeting

Schmitt and Widmar explore the law of targeting within international humanitarian law (IHL) and its application to international and non-international armed conflict. The article examines the “five elements” of a target operation, including the target, the weapon used, the execution of the attack, possible collateral damage and incidental injury, and location of the strike. The… Continue reading “On Target”: Precision & Balance in the Contemporary Law of Targeting

Of Guns & Grotius

Kellman discusses the breakthroughs in the development of explosive weapons since the 13th century. He then analyzes the evolution of theories on the international law of war as expounded by Grotius, Gentili, and Vatel. He argues that these scholars should have instead developed an international law of peace; he hypothesizes what the foundation of law… Continue reading Of Guns & Grotius