Weapons Systems Decisions: Political and Psychological Perspectives on Continental Defense.

Salt deals with strategic objectives and doctrine, weapons systems, evolving technology, and is discussed in esoteric terminology. Decisions, however, are made by political leaders in the United States and the USSR in political contexts. Of the four agreements concluded at SALT I, the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty is clearly the most important. Odier agreements are the Interim Agreement on Limitation of Strategic Offensive Systems; the Accident Measures Agreement; and the revised Hot Line Agreement.

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Moral Responsibility in Twenty-First-Century Warfare: Just War Theory and the Ethical Challenges of Autonomous Weapons Systems. Edited by Steven C. Roach and Amy E. Eckert. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2020. 246p. $95.00 cloth.

Perspectives on Politics ◽

10.1017/s1537592721000396 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 693-695

Author(s):

Christine Sixta Rinehart

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Moral Responsibility ◽

Just War ◽

Just War Theory ◽

First Century ◽

State University ◽

Ethical Challenges ◽

Autonomous Weapons ◽

Twenty First Century ◽

Weapons Systems

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Stepping back from the brink: Why multilateral regulation of autonomy in weapons systems is difficult, yet imperative and feasible

International Review of the Red Cross ◽

10.1017/s1816383120000466 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 102 (913) ◽

pp. 235-259

Author(s):

Frank Sauer

Keyword(s):

United Nations ◽

Arms Control ◽

Use Of Force ◽

Human Control ◽

Conventional Weapons ◽

United Nations Convention ◽

The United Nations ◽

The Military ◽

Weapons Systems

AbstractThis article explains why regulating autonomy in weapons systems, entailing the codification of a legally binding obligation to retain meaningful human control over the use of force, is such a challenging task within the framework of the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. It is difficult because it requires new diplomatic language, and because the military value of weapon autonomy is hard to forego in the current arms control winter. The article argues that regulation is nevertheless imperative, because the strategic as well as ethical risks outweigh the military benefits of unshackled weapon autonomy. To this end, it offers some thoughts on how the implementation of regulation can be expedited.

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