Trump claimed that ‘we would be punishing ourselves’ by using US arms sales to Saudi Arabia as a bargaining chip over the disappearance of Khashoggi. A look at the arms trade shows why he’s wrong.
We already have some autonomous weapons – so talk of any ban should focus on where we draw the line on what is acceptable, and what is not. Can we at least agree on that?
One hundred years after its capture from the battle fields of France, the last German battle tank of its kind is giving up its secrets to archeologists and forensic analysis.
Australia is playing a major role in developing legal guidelines that would govern how any war in space is played out. The authors of MILAMOS hope the manual is never actually required.
South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma seems to be making a final push to secure the nuclear power deal before his tenure comes to an end. But it won’t be easy.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s comments about weapons as part of development for Africa could have the opposite effect if conditions aren’t strict and democratic processes aren’t followed.
African governments are open to military aid from the West. However, Germany’s recent remarks about the transfer of weapons to countries battling militants, needs to be approached with caution.
Treaties banning biological and chemical weapons are in place, and the path is clear to remove nuclear weapons too. Lethal autonomous weapons (killer robots) should be next.
Pop culture has always found something sexy about female fighters, who feature in everything from Sumerian hymns and Greek mythology to the new Wonder Woman film.
The early use of poison is one more indicator of an advanced repertoire of behavioural and technological traits that have characterised our species from the earliest times.
Daniel Wirls, University of California, Santa Cruz
Trump’s first budget proposal would boost defense spending by US$52 billion, but his desired military buildup is premised on misleading claims and lacks a strategic vision.
Professor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society & School of Computing, Informatics and Decision Systems Engineering, Arizona State University