Autonomous weapons, deadly viruses, cyber war – the humanity is arming massively. The technical, but also political control of the new weapons systems is even possible? Sabine Kinkartz reported.
After the withdrawal of the USA and Russia of the INF Treaty, the land-based nuclear bans medium-range missiles, likely story. Federal foreign Minister Heiko Maas hopes still that the Treaty still has a future. He knows, however, that would have to change a lot of things. Moscow and Washington had “do not want to no longer bind the hands, while countries such as China, North Korea, India or Pakistan to upgrade just for the land-based intermediate-range missiles,” said Maas.
The international security policy experienced difficult times. The dispute about the INF Treaty is an example. He stands for a profound crisis of disarmament, arms control and Non-proliferation of banned weapons. Arms control is still possible? Can you get and more so to the realities adapted to be developed?
Perplexity, and at a standstill
The foreign Minister hopes for it. “The multilateral political System in the face of imminent dangers, such as paralyzed,” said Maas, of the attention, a new movement in the arms control process and the issue on the international agenda anchor wants. In the foreign office welcomed on Friday 450 international experts, politicians, diplomats and military personnel to the conference, “in 2019. Capturing Technology. Rethinking Arms Control”.
Federal foreign Minister Heiko Maas with experts and counterparts from Sweden and the Netherlands
At the conference, however, it was clear that the German Initiative of a Herculean task. Humanity is currently in an almost breathtaking speed. New technologies are developed, the Unknown with their horror scenarios that everything so far in the shade. Killer robots that decide on the Basis of anonymous records and completely beyond human control over life and death. Missiles that can fly at the speed of sound and not repel. Cyber-attacks that put everything lame, what the modern man needs to live.
Starvation as a weapon of war
Long ago, the upgrade spiral has blown up all of the previously agreed control mechanisms. The existing agreements do not cover new technologies. An example: The biological weapons Convention of 1975. At that time it was not conceivable that one can be genetically shoot modified viruses on carrier rockets in other countries, to destroy the agriculture is so wide and lasting that is a famine.
How to react? Attacks with bio-weapons are also simulated in Germany
The Stockholm peace research Institute, SIPRI sees the enormous security risks in the field of biotechnology, and calls in a recent report, which was presented at the Berlin conference on disarmament urgently to adapt the existing arms control agreements. The development, production and application of biological weapons through new techniques such as 3D printing even easier and more dangerous.
“The increased use of robots in laboratories could lead to a significant gain in productivity during the development, construction and Test cycle of biological weapons,” warns SIPRI researcher Vincent Boulanin. “Artificial intelligence could be used to find new ways to optimise the Transferability or virulence of a biological active substance.”
Politics, science and economy to the table
Technologies that can be used both for civilian as well as military purposes, are particularly difficult to control. In the SIPRI report, it is recommended that governments, therefore, more systematic developments in science and technology, to track and assess. In addition, the report warns that the private sector should strengthen self-regulation.
Killer robots are no longer Science Fiction
“The Federal government will work to ensure that a permanent panel of experts and scientists under the umbrella of the biological weapons Convention – the risks clearly identifies and States enlightens and advises”, the Federal foreign Minister. “We need to prevent States, terrorists or Criminals use a new method, and the free access to scientific research, in order not to endanger with biological weapons, the whole of humanity.”
Autonomous weapons are uncontrollable
But, biotechnology is only one of four areas in which Maas can immediately see the need for action. In the case of Autonomous weapons systems, the rules would have to be taken to ensure found that the red lines would not be exceeded.
“It’s not just ethical considerations that speak against such weapons, fully Autonomous weapons are prone to Manipulation and incorrect calculations. Automatic escalation and arms races are practically inevitable.” At the Geneva negotiations there should be progress this year. “We want to write the principle of effective human control over all deadly weapons systems international and a major step towards a global Ban on fully Autonomous weapons.”
Maas promoted to the conference on disarmament, also for universal standards of conduct and Standards for the security of the cyber space and for the launch of an international “launch dialogue”. In the Middle East, non-state actors already had short-range missiles. The capabilities and ranges of Iranian or North Korean missiles were “more than worrying”. A technological innovation Hypersonic Weapons”, missiles are a lot of times the speed of sound on-the-go”. Russia wants to make the first systems soon in service. Defenses it is because of the enormous speed.
From China not more than lip service
Without the participation of Russia and China, all of the efforts to expand arms control to be run into the Void. The German government is also white. The Minister of foreign Affairs had invited both countries, therefore, to its conference on disarmament and Berlin. The people’s Republic, he said in his appeal for a revival of the INF Treaty explicitly. “Actors such as China have to face the responsibility for the strategic stability,” says Maas. The so Addressed so far, however, little willingness to sit in future agreements in the first row.