‘Non-Lethal’ Weapons

This book provides an up-to-date analysis of the development and deployment of 'non-lethal' weapons by police and military organizations. It reviews the key technologies, issues, and dangers, with particular attention to the development of drugs, lasers, microwaves, and acoustics as incapacitating weapons. Techniques for reducing casualties, torture devices, tools for conflict resolution, or the technology of political control? Ostensibly the major impetus for the development of 'non-lethal' weapons has been to apply force without causing permanent injury or death, thereby reducing the need for lethal force. This book sheds light on a more complex story, with varied drivers, contradictory policy, premeditated and unanticipated results, and challenges to social, ethical and legal norms. With particular attention to the ongoing development of drugs, lasers, microwaves, and acoustics as incapacitating weapons, it provides an up-to-date analysis of the key technologies and weapons programmes, and highlights the major policy issues and concerns. There has been much conjecture about new and emerging 'non-lethal' weapons. This book separates what is known from the speculation about developments at this intersection of technology and weapons development Review: 'Set to be the standard text on 'non-lethal' weapons, this book also highlights the threat to controls on weapons of mass destruction posed by weapons development at the other end of the spectrum.' - Dr Hans Blix, Chairman of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission 'This book, by one of the foremost experts in the field, provides a tremendous contribution. It is richly detailed, exhaustively researched, and beautifully written. It analyzes non-lethal weapons comprehensively, providing historical and contemporary exploration of the full range of applicable systems, in the U.S., U.K., and around the world. It deserves careful attention by scholars, policy-makers, and the informed public.' - Professor David A. Koplow, Director of the Center for Applied Legal Studies, Georgetown University, USA 'This scholarly and readable book offers an absorbing account of an area of weapons development where technology might advance rapidly. It deserves wide readership and should bring these disquieting developments to greater attention.' - Lord Martin Rees, President of the Royal Society; and Master of Trinity College, University of Cambridge 'Davison has been studying this area for many years and depth of scholarship is one of the book's great strengths ... This is an important book. It will not go down well with the Pentagon's Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate, or at Taser International. But it should be compulsory reading to those involved in "non-lethal" weapons-buying, before being exposed to salesmen touting the latest less-lethal wonder-weapon. And it should also be compulsory reading for any journalist writing about those same wonder-weapons without looking at what they mean in practice.' - David Hambling, Wired Magazine 'This is the definitive history and analysis of so-called non-lethal weapons. Neil Davison effectively demolishes the benign mask of these weapons as alternatives to deadly force, and points to the corrosive role of vested interest lobby groups, which have made these weapons popular ... Davison provides a powerful moral warning about the dangers of new incapacitation weapons ... ' New Scientist 'This exhaustively researched book integrates complex and diffuse information into an accessible, coherent and chronological narrative of non-lethal weapons development.' Times Higher Education ' ... thoroughly researched ... a comprehensive record.' - The Lancet This Work Represents A Collection Of Articles On The Ramifications Of Disease Emergence For International Development, International Law, And National Security. Factors In The Emergence Of Infectious Diseases / Stephen S. Morse -- Climate, Ecology And Human Health / Paul R. Epstein -- The Economics Of Emerging Infections In The Asia-pacific Region: What Do We Know And What Do We Need To Know? / Robert Davis And Ann Marie Kimball -- Economic Growth, Disruption, Deprivation, Disease And Death: On The Importance Of The Politics Of Public Health For Development / Simon Szreter -- Disease And International Development / Andrew T. Price-smith -- The Map Is Not The Territory: Reconceiving Human Security / Jim Whitman -- Ghosts Of Kigali: Infectious Disease And Global Stability At The Turn Of The Century / Andrew T. Price-smith -- The Return Of Infectious Disease / Laurie Garrett -- Microsecurity / Sara Glasgow And Dennis Pirages -- Beyond The Traditional Intelligence Agenda: Examining The Merits Of A Global Public Health Portfolio / Loch K. Johnson And Diane C. Snyder -- The International Health Regulations In Historical Perspective / Simon Carvalho And Mark Zacher -- Public Health And International Law: The Impact Of Infectious Diseases On The Formation Of International Legal Regimes, 1800-2000 / David P. Fidler. Edited By Andrew T. Price-smith. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. 'Something must be done' is a cry that is often heard in international relations. Situations are deemed intolerable, and calls to relieve suffering and hold the guilty accountable are frequently made. But who, or what, is the 'someone' who must act or can be called to account? Individual human beings are generally understood to be the bearers of moral burdens, duties and responsibilities. But individuals, acting only as individuals, can do little to alleviate famine, to protect the environment, or to rescue those threatened with massacre. Collective actors, on the other hand, including states, multinational corporations and the United Nations, arguably possess capacities to address injustice, respond to crises, and, indeed, cause harm in ways that individuals on their own cannot. Can such institutions be considered moral agents? If so, according to what criteria do they qualify as such, and under what conditions can duties be assigned to them, or blame attributed? The essays presented in Can Institutions Have Responsibilities? respond to these challenging questions from a variety of perspectives and tackle 'hard cases' such as the Kosovo Campaign and the genocide in Rwanda. Politics for global environmental governance / Ho-Won Jeong The evolution of global commons / Marvin S. Soroos New dimensions of effectiveness in the analysis of international environmental agreements / Gabriela Kütting Dynamics of environmental negotiations / Ho-Won Jeong Scientific uncertainty in environmental negotiations / Pamela S. Chasek The legitimacy of the global environment facility / Rodger A. Payne Encouraging participation in international environmental agreements / Elizabeth R. DeSombre Ecocentric identity and politics / Ho-Won Jeong and Charlotte Bretherton Globalised networks of knowledge and practice : civil society and environmental governance / Ronnie D. Lipschutz Argues that the costs of recent patterns of economic growth greatly outweigh the benefits. Explores the ecological impact of increased consumption, examines the employment consequences of increased production and analyses the relations between consumption and welfare. Looks at orthodox and green approaches to these issues and proposes an alternative policy framework based explicitly on welfare. Shows how cuts in consumption, working hours and ecological risks might be made while maintaining the quality of life Front Matter....Pages i-xix Introduction....Pages 1-11 The Early History of ‘Non-Lethal’ Weapons....Pages 12-39 ‘Non-Lethal’ Weapons in the 1990s....Pages 40-69 The Contemporary Development of ‘Non-Lethal’ Weapons....Pages 70-104 Chemical and Biochemical Weapons....Pages 105-142 Directed Energy Weapons....Pages 143-185 Acoustic Weapons....Pages 186-205 Conclusion....Pages 206-219 Back Matter....Pages 220-304