IRRC No. 900

Out of sight, out of reach: Moral issues in the globalization of the battlefield

Reading time 11 min read
Download PDF
This article is also available in

Abstract
The Great War ushered in a new era of long-distance combat. For the first time, weapons with a very long range were massively deployed, in previously unheard-of places: under the sea and in the air. Stealth fighting also included espionage and propaganda, now orchestrated on a global scale. In reaction to the carnage in the trenches, a degree of moral rehabilitation came to be conferred on the weapons initially associated with a "cowards' war". This in turn encouraged experimentation with the new, unmanned technology that would lead to the first prototypes of guided munitions and drones.

Continue reading #IRRC No. 900

More about Use of weapons, Conduct of hostilities, History, First World War, International Review of the Red Cross