Research Article

Lethal Autonomous Weapons and the Rise of Violence without Moral Restraints

Volume: 15 Number: 2 May 6, 2026
EN

Lethal Autonomous Weapons and the Rise of Violence without Moral Restraints

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the impact of lethal autonomous weapon systems on the ethical aspects of warfare. The fundamental stance of this inquiry is that moral deskilling is a tangible threat due to the fact that autonomous weapons will instigate a slacking-off within the military cadres, which in turn will cause the loss of military ethics over a longer period since many of those military rules are virtues normally acquired via repetition on the job practice. The minimal survival of military virtues with little substance remaining after such a moral deskilling is what is at issue, not a one-time transgression of humanitarian law.

Keywords

References

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  2. Abraham, Y. (2024, April 3). ‘Lavender’: The AI machine directing Israel’s bombing spree in Gaza. Balfour Declaration. https://balfourproject.org/lavender-the-ai-machine- directing-israels-bombing-spree-in-gaza/
  3. Alwardt, C., & Schörnig, N. (2021). A necessary step back? Zeitschrift Für Friedens- Und Konfliktforschung, 10(2), 295–317. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42597-021-00067-z
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  5. Bellaby,R.W.(2021).CanAIweaponsmakeethicaldecisions?CriminalJusticeEthics, 40(2), 86–107. https://doi.org/10.1080/0731129X.2021.1951459
  6. Biggar, N. (2023). An ethic of military uses of artificial intelligence: Sustaining virtue, granting autonomy, and calibrating risk. Conatus, 8, 67–76. https://doi.org/ 10.12681/cjp.34666
  7. Bode, I. (2024). Emergent normativity: Communities of practice, technology, and lethal autonomous weapon systems. Global Studies Quarterly, 4(1), 1-11. https:// doi.org/10.1093/isagsq/ksad073
  8. Boothby, W. (2018). Dehumanization: Is there a legal problem under Article 36? In W. Heintschel von Heinegg, R. Frau, & T. Singer (Eds.), Dehumanization of Warfare: Legal Implications of New Weapon Technologies (pp. 21–52). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67266-3_3

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

International Institutions, International Relations (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

May 6, 2026

Submission Date

April 9, 2025

Acceptance Date

October 30, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 15 Number: 2

APA
Güneysu, G. (2026). Lethal Autonomous Weapons and the Rise of Violence without Moral Restraints. All Azimuth: A Journal of Foreign Policy and Peace, 15(2). https://doi.org/10.20991/allazimuth.1945588
AMA
1.Güneysu G. Lethal Autonomous Weapons and the Rise of Violence without Moral Restraints. All Azimuth: A Journal of Foreign Policy and Peace. 2026;15(2). doi:10.20991/allazimuth.1945588
Chicago
Güneysu, Gökhan. 2026. “Lethal Autonomous Weapons and the Rise of Violence Without Moral Restraints”. All Azimuth: A Journal of Foreign Policy and Peace 15 (2). https://doi.org/10.20991/allazimuth.1945588.
EndNote
Güneysu G (May 1, 2026) Lethal Autonomous Weapons and the Rise of Violence without Moral Restraints. All Azimuth: A Journal of Foreign Policy and Peace 15 2
IEEE
[1]G. Güneysu, “Lethal Autonomous Weapons and the Rise of Violence without Moral Restraints”, All Azimuth: A Journal of Foreign Policy and Peace, vol. 15, no. 2, May 2026, doi: 10.20991/allazimuth.1945588.
ISNAD
Güneysu, Gökhan. “Lethal Autonomous Weapons and the Rise of Violence Without Moral Restraints”. All Azimuth: A Journal of Foreign Policy and Peace 15/2 (May 1, 2026). https://doi.org/10.20991/allazimuth.1945588.
JAMA
1.Güneysu G. Lethal Autonomous Weapons and the Rise of Violence without Moral Restraints. All Azimuth: A Journal of Foreign Policy and Peace. 2026;15. doi:10.20991/allazimuth.1945588.
MLA
Güneysu, Gökhan. “Lethal Autonomous Weapons and the Rise of Violence Without Moral Restraints”. All Azimuth: A Journal of Foreign Policy and Peace, vol. 15, no. 2, May 2026, doi:10.20991/allazimuth.1945588.
Vancouver
1.Gökhan Güneysu. Lethal Autonomous Weapons and the Rise of Violence without Moral Restraints. All Azimuth: A Journal of Foreign Policy and Peace. 2026 May 1;15(2). doi:10.20991/allazimuth.1945588

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