Topic: Autonomous Weapon Systems
Country: Panama
Delegate Name: Joeita Macfield
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Panama position papers GLIMUN 2015 committees
Autonomous weapon systems are defined as weapons that can independently select and attack targets. The United States and the United Kingdom have publicly available national policies on autonomous weapon systems. Autonomous Weapon Systems allow, for the first time, the possibility of eliminating the human operator from the battlefield. In May of 2014, the first Meeting of Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems was held at the United Nations in Geneva. The participants recognized the potential of Autonomous Weapon Systems to entirely change the nature of war, as well as a variety of ethical dilemmas weapons systems raise. The United Nations has had multiple conventions on the ethical and logical problems that arise with the use of autonomous weapons. The United Nation's special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions declared that “war without reflection is mechanical slaughter, in the same way that the taking of any human life deserves at the minimum some deliberation, a decision to allow machines to be deployed deserves a collective pause, in other words, a moratorium.”
Panama lacks a standing army, but has limited military forces. Although, on the topic of autonomous weapon systems, Panama is one of the many countries which has acquired uninhabited air vehicles. However, autonomous weapon systems are not critical issues in Panama. Panama has alliances with the United States of America and the European Union. The United States is committed to the International Humanitarian Law, believing that lethal autonomous weapons may present legal, policy and ethical issues. Also, several of member states of the European Union are members of the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots and has been called to “ban the development, production and use of fully autonomous weapons which enable strikes to be carried out without human intervention.” Due to Panama’s alliances with these regions, Panama is in accord with their stance on autonomous weapon systems.
The International Committee of the Red Cross wrote, “If weapons become more autonomous they may become less predictable. Unpredictability would raise serious questions with regard to compliance with International Humanitarian Law.” Therefore, there is no certainty that a weapon system will always operate within the law. Countries in favor of autonomous weapon systems bear legal responsibility. The control over the selection and attack of targets should be maintained solely by humans. There is no certainty that an autonomous weapon would be capable of discriminating between a civilian and a combatant, nor is there certainty that an autonomous weapon would be capable of assessing the required precautions in attack to minimize civilian casualties. Countries should be allowed to continue to responsibly explore the military implications of robotics. Potential technologies may come into accord with the International Humanitarian Law.
