The dilemma of international security and law: Autonomous weapon systems and management responsibility

Autonomous weapon systems are artificial intelligence-supported weapon systems that can move and target and fire without human intervention. As a new generation military technology product, it increases the success rate on the battlefield with its high speed, efficiency, effectiveness parameters and relatively low cost. The nature of autonomous weapon systems, which are desirable technologies by states due to their operational benefits, and the potential threats they pose in terms of their use, make these weapon systems debatable, especially in terms of international stability and responsibility law. In this regard, autonomous weapon systems; It has become the subject of discussions in terms of disciplines such as ethics and morality, as well as international relations, security, international humanitarian law and human rights law. In this thesis, which is an example of a hybrid study from the perspective of International Security and International Humanitarian Law, the paradoxical ground created by the current and potential threats specific to autonomous weapon systems is analyzed. It is aimed to analyze the dilemma created by the paradoxical ground in question between International Security and International Humanitarian Law. In the thesis, where qualitative research methods were used, relevant written sources of International Law, primary sources regarding customary rules and official defense policies of states, and secondary sources such as scientific theses, articles and reports were used. It has been found that meaningful human control must be ensured in order to resolve the dilemma between international security and international humanitarian law on two basic grounds: "stability paradox" and "normative paradox". In this context, a five-stage control model was developed, and it was concluded that autonomous weapon systems should be restricted by taking into account "meaningful human control" as an additional legal criterion in addition to the existing international humanitarian law rules.