This article explains why regulating autonomy in weapons systems, entailing the codification of a legally binding obligation to retain meaningful human control over the use of force, is such a challenging task within the framework of the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. It is difficult because it requires new diplomatic language, and because the military value of weapon autonomy is hard to forego in the current arms control winter. The article argues that regulation is nevertheless imperative, because the strategic as well as ethical risks outweigh the military benefits of unshackled weapon autonomy. To this end, it offers some thoughts on how the implementation of regulation can be expedited.

中文翻译：

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从边缘退后一步：为什么对武器系统自主性进行多边监管是困难的，但却是必要的和可行的

本文解释了为什么在《联合国某些常规武器公约》的框架内，对武器系统的自主性进行监管，包括编纂一项具有法律约束力的义务，以保持对武力使用的有意义的人类控制，是一项如此具有挑战性的任务。这很困难，因为它需要新的外交语言，也因为武器自主的军事价值在当前的军备控制冬天很难被放弃。文章认为，监管仍然是必要的，因为战略和道德风险超过了不受束缚的武器自主权的军事利益。为此，就如何加快实施监管提出了一些思路。