ABSTRACT
The logjam in the Conference on Disarmament is testament to the challenges. Weapons and weapons systems on the horizon that may demand regulation by disarmament treaty include artificial intelligence systems that take the human out of the decision-making on targeting and firing, as well as techniques for the enhancement of the capacities of humans when serving as soldiers. International disarmament efforts, however, have always been incremental. Fragmentation in international legal treaty-making for disarmament may lead to the conclusion of more bilateral or plurilateral agreements that are elaborated directly between affected and concerned parties rather than global multilateral treaties negotiated and adopted through and at the United Nations. A former UN Secretary-General had observed that the world is ‘over-armed’ while peace ‘is underfunded’. Indeed, disarmament is a question of commitment. For the foreseeable future, the existing disarmament institutions may continue to struggle to agree upon new regulations governing weapons of mass destruction.
