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	The Ethics of Killer Robots by Richard Norton-Taylor and Rob Evans Guardian News   The growing use of unmanned aircraft in combat situations raises huge moral and legal issues, and threatens to make war more likely as armed robots take over from human beings, according to an internal study by the UK Ministry of Defence.   The report warns of the dangers of an "incremental and involuntary journey towards a Terminator-like reality", referring to James Cameron"s 1984 movie, in which humans are hunted by robotic killing machines. It says the pace of technological development is accelerating at such a rate that Britain must quickly establish a policy on what will constitute "acceptable machine behaviour".   "It is essential that before unmanned systems become ubiquitous (if it is not already too late) … we ensure that, by removing some of the horror, or at least keeping it at a distance, we do not risk losing our controlling humanity and make war more likely," warns the report, titled The UK Approach to Unmanned Aircraft Systems.   MoD officials have never before grappled so frankly with the ethics of the use of drones. The report was ordered by Britain"s defence chiefs, and coincides with continuing controversy about drones use in Afghanistan, and growing Pakistani anger at CIA drone attacks against suspected insurgents on the Afghan borders.   It states that "the recent extensive use of unmanned aircraft over Pakistan and Yemen may already herald a new era". Referring to descriptions of "killer drones" in Afghanistan, it notes that "feelings are likely to run high as armed systems acquire more autonomy".   The insurgents "gain every time a mistake is made", enabling them to cast themselves "in the role of underdog and the west as a cowardly bully that is unwilling to risk his own troops, but is happy to kill remotely", the report adds.   Pakistan last week demanded that the US stop drone strikes. David Cameron said in December that British drones had killed 124 insurgents in Afghanistan since June 2008, hailing them as a "classic example of a modern weapon which is necessary for today"s war". The drones, known as Reapers, have to date fired 167 missiles and bombs in Afghanistan.   The report was drawn up last month by the ministry"s internal thinktank, the Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre (DCDC).   The report asks: "What is the role of the human from a moral and ethical standpoint in automatic systems? … To a robotic system, a school bus and a tank are the same – merely algorithms in a programme … the robot has no sense of ends, ways and means, no need to know why it is engaging a target." Chris Cole, a campaigner who runs the Drone Wars UK website, which monitors the development of unmanned weapons systems, welcomed the MoD study while calling for a halt to the use of drones.   "There needs to be an open and public discussion about the implications of remote warfare, and it may be that a parliamentary select committee inquiry would be the appropriate forum to begin this discussion," he said. The report notes that the MoD "currently has no intention to develop systems that operate without human intervention in the weapon command and control chain".   However, the MoD, like the Pentagon, is keen to develop more and more sophisticated "automated" weapons, it admits.   The report also adds: "Robots cannot be emotive, cannot hate. A robot cannot be driven by anger to carry out illegal actions such as those at My Lai [the massacre by US troops of hundreds of unarmed civilians in South Vietnam in March 1968].   "In theory, therefore," says the MoD study, "autonomy should enable more ethical and legal warfare. However, we must be sure that clear accountability for robotic thought exists, and this raises a number of difficult debates. Is a programmer guilty of a war crime if a system error leads to an illegal act? Where is the intent required for an accident to become a crime?"   The US-manufactured General Atomics Reaper is currently the RAF"s only armed unmanned aircraft. It can fly for more than 18 hours, has a range of 3,600 miles, and can operate at up to 15,000 metres (50,000ft).   The Reaper is controlled via a satellite datalink. The MoD is also funding the development by BAE Systems of a long-range unmanned aircraft, called Taranis, designed to fly at "jet speeds" between continents while controlled from anywhere in the world using satellite communications.
	Baghdadis despair over Security by Khalid Waleed Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) Iraq   04 Nov 2010   Baghdad has been stunned by two days of bombings that have left security officials searching for answers and residents bracing for more violence.   The ministry of health reports that at least 14 car bombs and three improvised explosive devices killed 86 people and wounded 360 others across the capital on November 2. The coordinated attacks came a day after gunmen stormed a Christian church during services, leading to a bloody siege that killed 52 people and injured 73.   The attacks have stunned citizens already living in fear of insurgent attacks and frustrated by poor public services and a grinding political impasse that has prevented a working government from taking shape, eight months after inconclusive national elections.   In the aftermath of the attacks, residents told IWPR that years of frustration about the security situation is turning to hopelessness.   "The security situation is deteriorating and I don"t believe it will ever be solved. There is no hope that we will ever be safe," said Abdullah al-Nawfali, head of the Christian Endowment, after the bloody standoff at Sayyidat al-Najat (Our Lady of Savation) church in Baghdad"s mixed Sunni-Shia neighborhood of Karada. He added that the blow to the already dwindling Christian population in Iraq is incalculable.   The caretaker government has so far blamed the attacks on foreign-backed terror groups, while seeking to reassure Iraqis that the targeting of mostly Shia-inhabited areas won"t return the country to the dark days of sectarian bloodshed which culminated in 2006 and 2007.   Ministry of defence spokesman Mohammed al-Askari said that the attacks were part of al-Qaeda"s plan to destabilise Iraq and other countries.   "These bombings were carried out by al-Qaeda with help from elements of the Baathist Party [of Saddam Hussein], and they targeted all Iraqis not just Shia. This has been a huge blow, we must admit it, but an investigation is under way and we are chasing those behind the attacks," said Askari, who could not confirm that the church attack and the next day"s bombings were staged by the same organisation.   The head of the Shia Endowment group, the main body for Shia interests in Iraq, said: "The goal is to reignite sectarian violence in Iraq. We have a responsibility to calm this demand and clarify things.   Denouncing the attackers as apostates, he said: "They want a civil war and they want to stop the political process. As soon as we see a ray of hope here, these terrorists rise again."   Following the church atrocity, the al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq released a statement warning that the attack was only the beginning of violence against Christians. Those attending Sunday mass that day have described the ordeal in horrific terms.   "We were in church when we heard bombs outside so we went in the back room. Then gunmen broke in and immediately shot the priest," Hanna Sulaiman said.   Another victim of the bombing, Atheer Jasim, expressed the widespread frustration Iraqis have with the effectiveness of the security forces. Many have questioned how bomb-laden gunmen were able to penetrate into the heart of Baghdad past multiple checkpoints.   "For years we have heard that security is going to improve; but where is the improvement? I don"t believe it will ever improve," Jasim said.   Some believe the first step to improving public safety is the formation of a functioning government. Last month, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of a lawsuit presented by a civil society group that parliament was in violation of the constitution for failing to elect a speaker by the deadline mandated by the constitution, and ordered the lawmakers to reconvene.   Jason Gluck, senior rule of law adviser for the United States Institute of Peace, believes the attacks may have shaken Iraq"s political elite into forging a working coalition.   "While negotiations on the next government will remain difficult, there is a sense that action is critical and mandatory," Gluck said.   But Joost Hiltermann, director of the Middle East programme of the International Crisis Group, questioned whether the recent violence will have an impact on the stalled government talks.   "They add to the pressure to form a government, but they will do little to break the deadlock," he said.   As the political wrangling continues again next week, the overwhelming emotion on the streets of Baghdad remains despair.   * Khalid Waleed is an IWPR-trained journalist.   4 November 2010   UN human rights chief urges better protection for Iraq’s religious communities.   The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, today strongly condemned this week’s attacks on religious communities in Iraq and urged the Iraqi Government to do more to protect civilians in an effort to prevent a “deadly” upsurge in sectarian violence.   The High Commissioner’s call follows yesterday’s condemnation by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of the recent spate of attacks, in which scores of civilians lost their lives and hundreds more were wounded.   On Tuesday, 68 civilians were killed and hundreds wounded in a series of explosions in at least ten mostly Shi’a neighborhoods in Baghdad, while at least 50 civilians were killed and dozens of others wounded on Sunday during the attempted rescue of worshippers who had been taken hostage in a Catholic Church.   While noting that bringing the perpetrators to justice is essential, but not easy in a country still recovering from years of conflict and violence, Pillay urged the Iraqi Government to take immediate concrete measures to provide better protection for vulnerable groups and minorities.   “I realize that dealing with the out-and-out terrorist groups is not an easy task. However, I believe much more could be done to protect groups which are clearly targets and who are particularly vulnerable,” Pillay said. “And it needs to be made clear to everyone in Iraq that sectarian attacks against any group are unacceptable and will be dealt with severely, under the law, no matter who is responsible.”   The High Commissioner added that Iraqi authorities should ensure that religious sites and other likely targets are adequately protected, and reach out and demonstrate to different communities that their safety is of paramount concern to the Government.   “As part of this process, when attacks do occur, the authorities should launch thorough investigations, conduct prosecutions and promptly provide redress to victims, as well as constantly reviewing and improving the steps they are taking to prevent further attacks,” Pillay said. Visit the related web page
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