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.
There are 100 million uncontrolled small arms and light weapons in African crisis zones.
Reuters/Goran Tomasevic
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.
International flags fly at United Nations headquarters, New York City.
Osugi/shutterstock
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.
Wonder Woman embodies the male fantasy of warrior women.
Variety.com
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 San’s arrows may look dainty, but when tipped with poison they are lethal for hunting.
Fred Dawson/Flickr
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.
American troops drive French Renault FT tanks to the battle line in the Forest of Argonne, France, September 26, 1918.
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
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.
Outer space should be used for peace not war.
Shutterstock/Rustam Zagidullin
The rules on armed conflict on Earth are a major source of restraint on military operations. But the rules on the use of weapons in outer space are far from clear. We need to change that.
The future battlefield will look very different.
Josh Smith/Reuters
What is hybrid warfare, and why would Australia benefit from its technological developments?
Mozambique should prioritise spending on infrastructure, agricultural development and human capital to ensure sustained growth.
Reuters/Grant Lee Neuenburg
Mozambique returns to the limelight following controversy over its external debt. How can the country contain this situation and avoid a downward spiral?
The debate over whether lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS) -- often called 'killer robots' -- should be banned continues, although it's far from settled.
The future of warfare might involve autonomous weapon systems, such as the BAE Taranis, although some are unsettled by the idea of giving machines lethal capabilities.
Mike Young
Should future wars be fought by autonomous systems? Or do they pose such a threat that they should be banned? These issues are being debated this week by diplomats from around the world.
While the US still dominates global arms exports, Russia takes a close second as rising instability increases demand for the latest high-tech weaponry and surveillance gear.
The possibility of a gun in a classroom may lead to fear in a learning environment
JAM Project/ Flickr
Barack Obama is considering supplying "lethal defensive weapons" to Ukraine. But how meaningful is that description? There are simply "weapons", all of which can be used for defence or for aggression.
Seriously, don’t drop that.
US DOD via Wikimedia Commons
The world’s largest non-nuclear bomb, and easily the most powerful “earthquake bomb” ever built, has now been tested and can be delivered by the B-2 stealth bomber. While the Massive Ordnance Penetrator…
The latest corner of World War II to be dramatised for the big screen is small. Cramped, even. In Fury, starring Brad Pitt and Shia leBeouf, we follow the story of five American soldiers, a crew serving…
Police in Ferguson, Missouri, far beyond your friendly neighborhood patrolmen.
Larry W Smith/EPA
In August 2014, the police who faced protesters in Ferguson, Missouri looked more like soldiers than officers of the peace. Citizens squared off with a camouflage-clad police force armed with tear gas…
