14 Applying Weapons Law to Particular Weapon Systems

Subject(s):

Armed conflict, international — Armed conflict, non-international — International criminal law, victims — Warfare, land — Weapons control — Weapons, conventional

Chapter 14 discusses specific weapon technologies and types of munition that merit individual consideration. This may be because of concerns that have been expressed as to their characteristics, because the technologies themselves require, or appear to some to require, particular legal care, or because they are emerging technologies which raise interesting and/or novel legal issues. The purpose of this consideration is to show how weapons law should be applied to each such technology, with the ultimate aim of assisting weapon reviewers in their difficult task. The chapter addresses missiles, bombs, and artillery, blast weapons, directed energy weapons, herbicides, flechettes, depleted uranium, white phosphorus, non-lethal weapons, cyber weapons, autonomous weapons, counter-IED weapons, nanotechnology, and metamaterials.