| Publication |
2012-13.
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| Summary/Abstract |
The appearance of new weapons' technologies often gives rise
to questions of legitimacy. The use of missile weapons against
armored knights was considered illegitimate and unchivalrous by
some, as well as a destabilizing influence on the conduct of civilized
warfare. An acknowledged and accepted set of rules, designed to limit the
vulnerability of the ruling elite in combat, made longbow and crossbow
technology illegitimate in the eyes of that warrior-class.1
German U-boat
actions against commerce in World War I, the use of aerial bombardment against civilian populations, and defoliation agents in Vietnam, are
modern examples of new technologies whose legitimacy was contested
in times of conflict.2
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