Article

On the implications of the use of drones in international law

Jaume Saura

• Journal of international law and international relations, Vol. 12, no. 1, 2016, p. 120-150

English

Photocopies. - Source : https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/jilwirl12&id=120&collection=journals&index= (last accessed on 09.06.2020)

The purpose of this paper is to contextualize the challenges that drones imply for international law, particularly in the realm of international human rights law. It has been rightly said that drones are simply new weapons that, as any other, must be used in accordance with existing law. In this respect, what the current drone proliferation brings about is the questioning, or a reappraisal, of some very core international law principles and norms; principles and norms that are fully in force and must be respected whether one uses drones or any other armament. In this article, Jaume Saura provides an overview of current drone technology and how it is used; he subsequently presents some of the challenges that these systems bring to international law in three arenas: the means of warfare; the prohibition of the use of force and its exceptions; and international human rights and international humanitarian law (IHL), particularly when drones are used for targeted killing.

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