Nouvelles technologies et conflits armés

From cyber warfare to data protection and from the use of satellite imagery in armed conflicts to artificial intelligence, machine learning and autonomous weapons, developments in technology have forced us to revisit the way we think about the application of public international law rules to situations of conflict. Can an armed conflict be triggered by cyber operations alone? Which rules of public international law apply to cyber-attacks? More specifically, how does international humanitarian law apply to cyber operations during an armed conflict? Is the use of “killer robots” prohibited during armed conflicts? How does the development of artificial intelligence impact the application of International Humanitarian Law? Which rules would apply to an armed conflict in outer space? Can a satellite be lawfully attacked and destroyed by a State involved in an armed conflict? These are some of the questions that will be examined in the context of this course.

The objective of the course is to examine to what extent and how the evolutions in technology influence the way the rules relating to armed conflicts are applied.
The aim of the course is to make a systematic analysis of how the relevant rules are applied to the technological evolutions identified above in order to familiarize students with the current, ongoing debates relating to the regulation of new technologies in war. Far from taking a theoretical approach to the subject, the course aims to give students an insight into the practical implementation of the rules taught, while helping them understand the theoretical debates underlying the different interpretations advanced. 

Required and Corequired knowledge and skills

The course presupposes a solid knowledge of general public international law and of international humanitarian law. 

The subject matter is divided into a list of several main topics and for each topic a number of essential readings will be provided. Students will have to study the reading materials before each lecture. It is essential that students prepare well each of the sessions on the basis of the readings, so that they can actively participate in the course’s sessions.

Students will be divided into teams. Each team will have to:

1. present one topic among the list of topics that will be available at the beginning of the course, and
2. write a short essay (of approximately 5000 to 7000 words, footnotes included) on a different topic than the one it presented in class. 

The oral presentations are to be followed by a discussion in class to which all other teams are expected to participate.

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

A reading list will be made available on the Virtual University at the beggining of the second semester at the latest. 

Additional information

Please note that the course will be conducted in English.

Contacts

Vaios Koutroulis: Vaios.Koutroulis@ulb.be

Campus

Solbosch

Method(s) of evaluation

• Oral presentation
• Group work
• Other

Oral presentation

Group work

Other

Partly on oral presentation, partly on participation in class discussion and partly on written essay.

Mark calculation method (including weighting of intermediary marks)

30% based on team oral presentation;
40% based on individual participation in class;
30% based on team written essay.

Language(s) of evaluation

• english