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23 U.C. Davis J. Int'l L. & Pol'y 65 (2016-2017)
Are Autonomous Weapons Systems the Subject of Article 36 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions

handle is hein.journals/ucdl23 and id is 71 raw text is: 










ARE  AUTONOMOUS WEAPON SYSTEMS THE SUBJECT OF ARTICLE 36
   OF ADDITIONAL PROTOCOL I TO THE GENEVA CONVENTIONS?


                      Dr. Thompson  Chengeta*

 If man does not master technology, but allows it to master him, he will be
                        destroyed by technology.



I.INTRODUCTION                      .....................................................66
      A.  The legal obligation to conduct legal review of new
          weapons                          ........................................66
          1.  Customary International Law..........        ............66
          2.  Treaty Law....................................68
          3.  Article 36: Scope of Application ...................69
II.ARE AUTOMONOUS  WEAPONS  SYSTEMS  STRICTO SENSU WEAPONS
      FOR THE PURPOSES OF ARTICLE 36 REVIEW?     .   ......................71
      A.  Definition of weapon, means, and method of warfare...........72
      B.  AWS   and the basic principles of international weapons law.....82
           1. Prohibition of weapons that cause superfluous harm and
              unnecessary suffering  ............................. 84
              a.  Customary International Law ............... ..........85
              b.  Treaty Law................................86
              c.  State Practice  ...................    ...........86
              d.  Case Law                     .................................87
          2.  Defining superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering.....87
              a.  Disproportionate suffering ............... .....88
              b.  Availability of alternative means... .................91
              c. Weapons  that render death inevitable    .............92
              d.  Inevitability of serious permanent disability.............93
          3.  Prohibition of weapons which are indiscriminate in
              nature.......................................94
              a.  Customary International Law .......  ..............94
              b.  Treaty Law    ......................................94
              c.  State Practice  ....................    ..........95
              d.  Case Law                     .................................96


     JEAN DE PREUX ET AL., ICRC COMMENTARY ON THE ADDITIONAL PROTOCOLS OF 8
JUNE 1977 TO THE GENEVA CONVENTIONS OF 12 AUGUST 1949 TT 427-28 (Yves Sandoz,
Christophe Swinarski, & Bruno Zimmerman eds., 1987).

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