Topic: Autonomous Weapon Systems
Country: Kuwait
Delegate Name: Howard Henderson
School: Fishers High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Kuwait position papers GLIMUN 2015 committees
The State of Kuwait, having experienced foreign occupation during the Gulf War, and being a country of limited geography, is of the opinion that the research and development of automated weapon systems (AWS) should be allowed to continue, especially in the realm of surveillance as opposed to lethal action. The State of Kuwait believes that the preservation of human life is of the utmost importance, and that any unnecessary loss of life represents a severe failure of conscience. In the past, the people of Kuwait have dealt with horrible acts of torture and murder at the hands of invading soldiers, and believe that the use of AWS can prevent such unnecessary acts of violence, assuming they are not constructed for the use of terrorism.
Kuwait recognizes that many countries may oppose the development of AWS for fear of indiscriminate “killing machines”, but it believes that further development on such weapons should be allowed to take place before final regulations are put into place. There may be as of yet unforeseen benefits to the automation of soldiers, and urges the other member states of the UN to consider such extenuating factors. At current, the world has not yet experienced AWS programmed to run entirely autonomously and kill by their own discretion, and so the State of Kuwait would like to focus debate on which areas of AWS should there be allowed research to take place. There is potential for an arms race in automated weapons systems, and Disarmament and International Security Committee has been charged with making sure that ethical considerations are taken into account before this occurs.
Moving forward, the State of Kuwait reminds the Committee that human life is precious, and that any technology that could be used in order to prevent casualties is something worth investment. Kuwait looks forward to the eventual use of autonomous technologies for this purpose, especially in the area of surveillance. Although it believes the use of AWS as lethal weapons should also be investigated, it will not endorse their use until significantly more research has taken place. This technology could potentially change the face of warfare forever, and perhaps one day armed conflict will take place entirely without the direct influence of human soldiers. In regards to International Humanitarian Law, its self-proclaimed intention is to be “a set of rules that seek to limit the effects of armed conflict.” AWS have the potential to represent a major step in the right direction when it comes to saving lives.
Works Cited:
"Hopes Rise For U.S. UAV sales to Middle East." Hopes Rise for U.S. UAV Sales to Middle East (n.d.): n. pag. Aerospace America. Web. 1 Nov. 2015. <Hopes rise for U.S. UAV sales to Middle East>.
"War & Law." International Committee of the Red Cross. N.p., 28 Apr. 2014. Web. 04 Nov. 2015.
"War Profile – Iraq/US." (n.d.): n. pag. University of Massachusetts Amherst. Web. 1 Nov. 2015.
