Legal Transplants: Applying Arms Control Frameworks to Autonomous Weapons

Abstract

The Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocols that regulate the law of armed conflict are insufficient to interpret autonomous weapon systems, which are among the modern weapon technologies that will be actively used by armies in the near future. This article focuses on autonomous weapon systems, which are not yet subject to regulation in terms of international law and which are still under debate with regard to prohibition in the global arena, and examines whether they can be an alternative for autonomous weapon systems by examining the regulations previously prepared on landmines, incendiary weapons, and cluster munitions through legal transplants. As a result of the conclusions reached in the article, recommendations will be shared on the content and legal status of the international humanitarian law manuals that should be prepared for autonomous weapon systems.