Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists · 1994 · 23 citations · 0 references
EngineeringSoft-kill FallacyConventional WeaponsHomicideNon-lethal ThrustLawCriminal LawNon-lethal WeaponsPunishmentCritical TheoryDirected Energy WeaponsMarch 1991Plausible Reasoning
Non‑lethal weapons, spanning chemical, biological, kinetic, electromagnetic, acoustic, and informational technologies, are widely proposed but raise political, legal, and strategic concerns, including potential treaty violations. The paper reviews four key international treaties and catalogs the weapons covered by them. The study concludes that fundamental political, legal, and strategic questions about the utility of non‑lethal weapons remain unanswered. The article cites 15 references.
Dozens of non-lethal weapons have been proposed or developed, mostly in laboratory-scale models. They encompass a broad range of technologies, including chemical, biological, kinetic, electromagnetic, and accoustic weapons, as well as informational techniques such as computer viruses. `Non-lethal weapons disable or destroy without causing significant injury or damage,` asserted Undersecretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz in a March 1991 memorandum. The idea of `non-lethal` weapons is politically attractive and purposively misleading. Some of these `non-lethal` weapons may violate treaties. Four international treaties are particularly relevant and discussed in some detail. A list of weapons of this nature is also provided. But basic political, legal and strategic questions about the utility of the non-lethal thrust remains unanswered and sometimes unasked. 15 refs.