Tactical Nuclear Weapons in International Humanitarian Law

Wissenschaftliche Studie , 2015 , 14 Seiten

Jura - Europarecht, Völkerrecht, Internationales Privatrecht

This article examines the legality of tactical nuclear weapons under International Humanitarian Law. Additionally, the ideas behind the development of tactical nuclear weapons as well as their historical background during the Cold War and after 9/11 are examined.

Tactical (or 'small') nuclear weapons have been developed during the Cold War and had been deployed e.g. to West Germany for possible use on the battlefield in the event of a Soviet invasion of Western Europe. After the end of the Cold War, the dangerous idea that nuclear weapons could be used on the battlefield without triggering a global thermonuclear conflict has remained relevant. It has been discussed e.g. in the context of the threat posed by the Iranian nuclear weapons program as one possible way to destroy hardened or underground targets. In this paper the issue of tactical nuclear weapons is approached from the perspective of International Humanitarian Law, the set of rules which govern the conduct of armed forces in conflict.

Table of Contents

1 Introduction
1.1 Background
1.2. Tactical Nuclear Weapons during the Cold War
1.3. Tactical Nuclear Weapons after 9/11

2 Legality of the Use of Tactical Nuclear Weapons under International Humanitarian Law
2.1. The Prohibition of indiscriminatory attacks
2.2 The Prohibition of unnecessary suffering or injury
2.3 Protection of the Environment in Times of Armed Conflict

3 Conclusions and Outlook

Sources

• Autor: Dr. Stefan Kirchner (Autor:in)
• Erscheinungsjahr: 2015
• Seiten: 14
• Katalognummer: V306442
• ISBN (eBook): 9783668043794
• ISBN (Buch): 9783668043800
• Sprache: Englisch
• Schlagworte: Cold War, international law, international humanitarian law, nuclear weapons, tactical nuclear weapons