Technological Advances in Weaponry, the Remoteness of Human Agency and the Erosion of Humanity in International Humanitarian Law

国际人道法中武器技术的进步、人类机构的遥远性和人性的侵蚀

• 批准号: 2421161
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Nottingham
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2421161
• 关键词: Technological; Advances; Weaponry; Remoteness; Human

Since the end of the Cold-War, warfare has undergone significant change. Partly fuelled by an evolution in the type of international threats which States face, armed forces around the world have begun to utilise technology in the creation of better, more powerful and less human-oriented weaponry. Undoubtedly, this fact has significant repercussions for international humanitarian law (IHL) which exists, fundamentally, to restrict certain catastrophic methods of warfare and maintain the highest levels of morality and humanity during conflicts. Over 150 years since the birth of IHL, this project seeks to highlight how both Hague Law and the Geneva Conventions have become woefully inadequate in the face of technologically advanced weaponry. As a result, it will be proposed that an Additional Protocol is required which is specifically designed to restrict the use of drone warfare and autonomous weapons in order to ensure modern conflicts are in line with the overarching humanitarian principles of humanity and distinction. Furthermore, by engaging with the Ministry of Defence through the undertaking of personnel interviews, it will be stressed that there is inherent value in a further Additional Protocol from the perspective of the armed forces in terms of the mental health of military personnel. This idea has been supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross who has previously acknowledged that drones and autonomous weaponry have a legitimate role to play in the further protection of combatants. This thesis will place itself firmly within a critical interpretation of the rationale of IHL in this way, giving equal attention to the need to protect both civilians and combatants, and the role of technologically advanced weaponry in the hindrance, as well as advancement, of humanitarianism. A discussion of the interaction between IHL and international human rights law will be discussed here and how each can be applied effectively to mitigate the damaging effects of new technologies. Significantly within my thesis, the topic of humanity will be at the forefront of the discussion. It is my belief that the ways in which warfare is conducted is crucial to the safety of both civilians and combatants as well as playing a significant role in the way in which post-conflict peace is built. However, it will be asserted that there is a significant problem in how civilians are distinguished and protected in and amongst lawful combatants by technologically advanced weaponry. Investigating the procedures of the armed forces which are in place to guide the decision-making process in the planning and execution of an attack is paramount in this discussion. Additionally, despite Article 36 of Additional Protocol One providing state parties with discretionary powers to develop new weapons, I will hypothesise that there is a danger in affording too much discretion in this regard. Without a purposeful Additional Protocol on emerging technologies, human agency and human morality could be removed from warfare and replaced with artificial intelligence to the detriment of IHL. As part of this discussion, I will seek to incorporate interview data gathered from weapons developers at BAE Systems, as a method of building more of a comprehensive picture of the UK's approach to the deployment of new weapons and comparing this approach to the data available for other countries, such as France, that employ a more restricted approach. Conflicts around the world are somewhat inevitable but it is important to decide what kind of response to conflicts we want to see in the future and if the psychological and physical impacts of machine-led operations are part of this image. A re-engagement with the rationale behind IHL can prevent this in warfare as well as aid peace-building efforts.

自冷战结束以来，战争发生了重大变化。部分由于各国所面临的国际威胁类型的演变，世界各地的武装部队已开始利用技术来制造更好、更强大和不那么以人为本的武器。毫无疑问，这一事实对国际人道法产生了重大影响，因为国际人道法的存在从根本上说是为了限制某些灾难性的战争方法，并在冲突期间维持最高水平的道德和人道。国际人道法诞生150多年来，该项目旨在强调海牙法和日内瓦公约在面对技术先进的武器时是如何变得严重不足的。因此，将建议需要一项附加议定书，专门用于限制无人机战争和自主武器的使用，以确保现代冲突符合人道和区别的首要人道主义原则。此外，通过与国防部进行人员访谈，将强调从武装部队的角度来看，另一项附加议定书在军事人员的心理健康方面具有内在价值。这一想法得到了红十字国际委员会的支持，该委员会此前曾承认，无人机和自主武器在进一步保护战斗人员方面可以发挥合法作用。本论文将坚定地以这种方式对国际人道主义法的基本原理进行批判性解释，同时对保护平民和战斗人员的必要性以及技术先进的武器在阻碍和促进人道主义方面的作用给予同等关注。本文将讨论国际人道法与国际人权法之间的相互作用，以及如何有效地运用两者来减轻新技术的破坏性影响。重要的是，在我的论文中，人性的主题将处于讨论的前沿。我认为，作战方式对平民和战斗人员的安全至关重要，并在冲突后建设和平的方式中发挥重要作用。然而，可以肯定的是，在技术先进的武器的合法战斗人员中如何区分和保护平民是一个重大问题。在这一讨论中，最重要的是调查武装部队在规划和实施攻击时指导决策进程的程序。此外，尽管《第一附加议定书》第36条规定缔约国拥有发展新武器的酌处权，但我认为，在这方面给予太多的酌处权是危险的。如果没有一个有针对性的新兴技术附加议定书，人类的能动性和人类的道德可能会从战争中消失，取而代之的是人工智能，从而损害国际人道法。作为本次讨论的一部分，我将寻求纳入从BAE系统公司武器开发人员收集的采访数据，作为一种方法，更全面地了解英国部署新武器的方法，并将这种方法与可用的数据进行比较其他国家，例如法国，采用更受限制的方法。世界各地的冲突在某种程度上是不可避免的，但重要的是要决定我们希望在未来看到什么样的冲突反应，以及机器主导的行动的心理和物理影响是否是这种形象的一部分。重新认识国际人道法的基本原理可以防止战争中发生这种情况，并有助于和平建设。