In April 2015, the United Nations hosted a meeting to discuss the use of armed robots
in combat.
Many experts argued that military robots can’t tell the difference between civilians and
soldiers, and therefore may violate a fundamental law of war.
So, what are the laws of war?
Historians have observed that as long as there has been war, there’s been an effort to
protect non-combatants, like women and children.
This custom forms part of the basis for our rules of war today.
The majority of these rules were internationally codified in the 19th and 20th Centuries during
The Hague Conventions and the Geneva Conventions.
Nearly every country in the world has pledged to abide by these guidelines.
As the nature of war has changed, these rules have regularly been updated.
In general, the laws of war are meant to protect: civilians, prisoners of war, the sick, and
the wounded.
For example, soldiers cannot target civilians at all - only other combatants.
And they can’t destroy civilian crops or poison their drinking water.
Soldiers also may not torture prisoners of war, and must keep them alive, giving them
food, water, and access to communication with their families.
For the sick and wounded on the battlefield, soldiers must allow doctors to rescue and
treat people from both sides.
Additionally, the rules of war prohibit the use of indiscriminate weapons, like landmines,
cluster bombs, or chemical weapons, which cause suffering to civilians and soldiers
alike.
But, there are many complexities to modern warfare that make the basic rules of war hard
to follow.
For instance, terrorists often disguise themselves as civilians, or use civilians as human shields.
Yet, any opposing forces must still fight legally, and avoid harming civilians.
Experts have suggested that the rules of war should change to cope with modern terrorism.
Hypocrisy over the laws of war is also common.
The United States was one of the major contributors to The Hague and Geneva Conventions, yet they
have commonly ignored these rules.
In Abu Ghraib Prison, suspected terrorists were tortured by American officials, which
is a violation of the detainees’ rights.
And the US also still uses landmines in the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
As new methods of warfare are being developed - the international laws of warfare must also
develop.
It’s likely that no war has been fought fairly, but at least with some basic rules,
innocent casualties may be minimized.
Our friend Laura Ling has an amazing first-hand story about what it was like to be a prisoner
in North Korea.
Her story is both amazing
and inspiring.
Check out that full video in the description, and consider subscribing to Seeker for more
just like it.
Thanks for watching!