The use of unmanned drones as weapons of war in conflicts around the world has been called into question by one of Britain's most senior judges. Lord Bingham, until last year the senior law lord, said that some weapons were so "cruel as to be beyond the pale of human tolerance". In an interview with the British Institute of International and Comparative Law, Lord Bingham compared drones, which have killed hundreds of civilians in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Gaza, with cluster bombs and landmines. His comments are bound to intensify calls for new international rules to protect civilian populations from arbitrary attacks launched by the pilotless craft.
In an interview with the British Institute of International and Comparative Law, Lord Bingham compared drones, which have killed hundreds of civilians in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Gaza, with cluster bombs and landmines.
His comments are bound to intensify calls for new international rules to protect civilian populations from arbitrary attacks launched by the pilotless craft.
It's not like the unmanned aircraft aren't piloted, it's just that the pilot isn't in the plane. But maybe this guy wants to ban missiles too? Maybe even bullets?
It's the same silliness about mines and cluster bombs. It's perfectly possible to make cluster bomb submunitions which don't hang around for more than a few hours, and you can put in timers in land mines too. The problems aren't mines and cluster bombs in general, but badly engineered ones.
If he wants to talk about weapons which are "cruel as to be beyond the pale of human tolerance" I'd recomend him checking out perfectly ordinary artillery shells or standard HMG rounds. But I guess they're not as sexy... Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.
