Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Drones and the IHL


The International Humanitarian Law (IHL) regulates the conduct of arms on a, well, international level. Under this, armed drones are not expressly prohibited. Not all drones are armed and ready to fight. Although not directly stated, drones must not harm civilians or carry prohibited items such as chemical or biological agents. In this way, the United States isn’t technically breaking any international laws. In fact, the IHL states that any weapon that causes minimal damage to civilians should be preferred over weapons that are less so. Drone operators will be held accountable for all things the drone does, even though they may be miles away. In this way, the United States isn’t doing anything wrong according to the IHL. As long as they continue the way they are without bringing significant harm to innocent civilians.

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