Table Of ContentWEAPONS AND THE LAW
OF ARMED CONFLICT
Weapons and the Law
of Armed Conflict
Second Edition
WILLIAM H. BOOTHBY
1
1
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Tothememoryofmyfather,HarryBoothby
—myhero,mymentor,andmyfriend
Foreword to the First Edition
Weapons (including munitions) are the means of warfare, and without weapons
therecanbenowar.Weaponsdeterminethewaythewarisfought—onland,at(or
underthe)sea,andintheair—andfrequentlyitsoutcome.Historyisrepletewith
illustrationsofweaponsaffectingcivillife(forinstance,theappearanceanddisap-
pearanceofwalledcities)andtheformationofempires(forexample,theneedof
navies for coaling stations). Military history is the history of changing weapons.
Mankind has come a long way from sling stones or bows and arrows to nuclear
weapons,andtherapidpaceatwhichnovelweaponsystemsemergeinthemodern
era of computers and electronics is unprecedented. Legally speaking, there is no
doubt that each Belligerent Party is entitled to resort to—or introduce—any
non-prohibitedweaponavailabletoit.
Thedesiretode-weaponizeisamarkofcivilizedsociety.Therehavebeenmany
endeavoursinthepasttwocenturiestobringaboutdisarmamentoratleastarms
control (globally, regionally, or in specific demilitarized zones) through the legal
eliminationofcertainweaponsortheimpositionoflimitationsonthearsenalsof
allorsomestatessomeofthetime(eitherinpeaceorinwar).Theseeffortshave
been notably successful, in so far as certain Weapons of Mass Destruction
(WMDs)—chemicalandbiologicalweapons—areconcerned:notonlytheirusein
wartime, but even their development, production, and stockpiling in peacetime
havebeenforbidden.Nevertheless,theultimateWMDs—nuclearweapons—have
largelyprovedbeyondreachforthosewhowishtobartheiruseeverywhereinwar-
timeandremovethemaltogetherfromtheshelfinpeacetime.
The trouble is that human ingenuity in the development and construction of
weaponsoutstripsalleffortsatdisarmamentorarmscontrol.Therearenowdiverse
lawfulweaponsystemsthatmaynotqualifyperseasWMDsyettheirdestructive
capabilityisimmense.Inviewoftherathersporadicsuccessofdisarmamentand
armscontrolintheworldofreality,thesightsmustusuallybeloweredandtheprag-
maticfocusshiftedtotheinterdictionofactualuseofspecificweaponsinwartime.
The present volume, by Air Commodore Bill Boothby, is accordingly devoted to
theinternationallawofweaponryinthecourseofarmedconflict(whetherinter-
nationalornon-international).
Themultilayeredsubjectispredicatedonsomefundamentalpreceptsofcustom-
ary international law, primarily the principle of distinction between combatants
and civilians or military objectives and civilian objects—proscribing the use of
weapons that are indiscriminate by nature—and the principle that denies lawful
recourse to weapons which by their very nature cause superfluous injury or
viii ForewordtotheFirstEdition
unnecessarysufferingtocombatants.Thesetwopreceptshavebeenalludedtoby
theInternationalCourtofJusticeas‘intransgressible’.
Although nobody can possibly contest the validity of the fundamental prin-
ciples,thisisaparadigmaticinstanceofthefailureofgeneralpropositions(however
much repeated as mantras by righteous proponents) to translate themselves into
concreterules.Whichweaponsareinnatelydeemedtocausesuperfluousinjuryor
unnecessary suffering to combatants? What weapons intrinsically clash with the
principle of distinction, being incapable of distinguishing between civilians and
combatants?Empirically,thesalientfactorisnotthearbitrarynatureofaweapon
(asdeterminedbyitsdesignspecifications)buttheparticularusetowhichitisput
in given circumstances by one or another Belligerent Party. The indiscriminate
effects caused by a weapon—or the unnecessary suffering or superfluous injury
resultingfromit—arethusdeterminedlessbythescientistinthelabortheengi-
neerintheworkshop(developingandmanufacturingthedevice),andmorebythe
individual aviator, naval officer, artillery commander, missile launcher, etc. who
ultimatelyemploystheweaponinasingularsetting.
Itmustalsobeborneinmindthattheeffectsoftheuseofcertainweapons(like
incendiaries)mayberepulsive.Still,theymaybeperfectlylawfuliftheytargetonly
combatantsandmilitaryobjectives(sparingciviliansandcivilobjects),andifthe
sufferingandinjuryensuingcannotbesubsumedundertheheadingsof‘unneces-
sary’or‘superfluous’.
With a view to elaborating clear norms of conduct in hostilities, a plethora of
treaty provisions—each dealing with a chosen weapon—have been negotiated,
signed,andratified.Someofthesetreatyclauses(bynomeansall)havegenerated
customary international law applicable to all states. Others (pre-eminently, the
repudiation of anti-personnel mines) remain binding only among Contracting
Parties.
Thetreatiesonweaponryareoftheutmostimportancetopractitioners(themili-
tary),tohumanitarianobservers,andtothepublicatlarge.Discretesegmentsofthe
treaty law are parsed in a vast array of doctrinal literature, and there are synoptic
sketchesofthesubjectmatterinbookscoveringtheentiregamutoftheconductof
hostilities. But, surprisingly, the present volume is virtually the first attempt at
examining the available legal texts in a comprehensive and systematic fashion,
appraisingimpartiallyeverytreatybanandlimitationofweaponsinwartime.
In recent decades, the treaties relating to weaponry have become increasingly
complex.Whentheuseofpoisonwasfirstforbidden,evenalaypersonwithnopre-
tenceofaccesstothearcanaoftoxicsubstancescouldeasilygetthedrift.Butwhen
itcomestoblindinglasersorfragmentswhichinthehumanbodyescapedetection
byx-rays,alayman(evenifheorsheisaprofessionalinlawordiplomacy)cannot
be faulted for feeling a distinct inadequacy in coping with the nuances of the
injunction.Thesenseofdeficiencyisaggravatedwhennewerprohibitionsareeither
initiated(clustermunitions)orevenadvocated(depleteduranium).Thereisapal-
pableneedforlighttobeshedonabstrusepointsofdiscourseandcontroversy.
Air Commodore Boothby is particularly placed in a position enabling him to
dissectandconstruethelawofweaponryinamannerthatcombinesaprofound
ForewordtotheFirstEdition ix
theoretical understanding of the law of armed conflict with impressive practical
acquaintancewiththeweaponsystemsdiscussedinthebook.Hisbackgroundasa
lawyerandasapractitionermakesitpossibleforhimtoassessvaliddata-processed
operationalknowledge,offeringinsightsthatenlightenthosewhodonothaveeasy
familiaritywithmoderntechnology.
Thisvolumeislikelytobecometheleadingoeuvreonthelegalityofrecourseto
weaponsinwartime.
ProfessorYoramDinstein
October2008
