Abstract
New means and methods of war such as remote warfare by drones—the focus of this special issue—challenge international law, as there no longer exists agreement between states regarding the rules regulating the use of force. The existing legal norms are interpreted in widely diverging manners and seemingly put aside if not in the interest of the state in question. Yet, this article argues that, taking a closer look at the state practice of drone strikes beyond the paradigmatic case of the USA, the demise of international legal norms regulating the use of force seems overstated. Instead, the analysis reveals that the international laws addressing the use of force and means and methods of warfare are not as dead as the general discourse asserts, and can still serve to regulate state action.
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Notes
A situation of armed conflict means international humanitarian law (IHL) applies, which is much more permissive regarding the use of armed force. In peacetime, international human rights law (IHRL) applies, which is much more restrictive regarding the use of force. However, IHRL does not fully cease to apply in situations of armed conflict, where IHL is applied as the lex specialis. The exact relationship between the two rule sets is subject to extensive debate.
Traditionally, and somewhat simplified, combatants are members of the armed forces of a state (with a few exceptions such as medical and religious personnel, who are classified as non-combatants, despite being members of the armed forces), and have a duty to distinguish themselves from civilians. With the recognition of combatant status, which only exists in international armed conflicts (i.e. between two or more states), comes the right to participate directly in hostilities. Combatants may target other combatants and civilians directly participating in the hostilities, but in turn, they themselves may also be targeted. Civilians lose their protection from attack when they participate directly in the hostilities, but do not share the combatants’ right to engage in the hostilities and may thus be prosecuted for their involvement in an armed conflict.
This lack of transparency also expands to other means of remote warfare, such as the use of Special Operation Forces and the use of local partners (Knowles and Watson, 2017).
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Theussen, A. International law is dead, long live international law: the state practice of drone strikes. Int Polit 60, 859–878 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41311-021-00333-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41311-021-00333-0