Note to ACW readers: This week, guest contributor Hannah Haegeland continues a series of posts on the morality of nuclear deterrence. Strategic modernization programs, which are proceeding on a significant scale in the United States, Russia, China, Pakistan, and India, are grounded in concepts of nuclear deterrence that are alien to all religious traditions. Periodic …
Russian Cruise Missiles Revisited
by | 2015-10-27 | 29 Comments
There have been two Russian cruise missiles in the news lately. One is a ground-launched cruise missile that apparently violates the 1987 Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, the other is a sea-launched cruise missile that Russia recently fired against targets in Syria. Both of these cruise missiles are made by the same firm, Novator. I …
Humanitarian Consequences (Cont.)
by | 2015-10-22 | 6 Comments
[See the previous post. -Ed.] Yes, every kind of weapon, if used against noncombatants, can violate the humanitarian laws of warfare. But nuclear detonations add a whole new scale to this problem. A single mushroom cloud, except under highly particular circumstances, will violate the humanitarian laws of warfare. And, if a single detonation triggers more detonations …
The Bomb, Escalation, and the Humanitarian Pledge
by | 2015-10-15 | 13 Comments
In 1868, the Imperial Cabinet of Russia convened an International Commission to issue a Declaration on the laws of war. In its Preamble, the St. Petersburg Declaration stated, The only legitimate object which states should endeavor to accomplish during war is to weaken the military forces of the enemy. The League of Nations and the …
