Introduction: Conundrum of new technologies in the law of armed conflict

This introductory chapter outlines the general relationship between technological development and the conduct of warfare in the historical context. It then introduces the objective of the book, which is to critically examine the potential legal challenges arising from the use of new technologies in warfare, and future directions of legal development. It proceeds on the premise that the fundamentally transformative impact of new technologies on the means and methods of warfare, and on the broader environment in which warfare is conducted, cannot be understood without specific characteristics of the technology and challenges each technology presents for both the law of armed conflict and the battlespace. Each chapter of this book is introduced in the broader context of the four thematic issues that emerged during the discussion among scholars and practitioners working in the field, held at the Workshop at the Australian National University in September 2012.