August 3, 2026
Stephen Herzog
The following is an excerpt from the Irregular Warfare Initiative.
Rules governing warfare are nearly as ancient as warfare itself. In the Iliad, Achilles loses favor with the gods and invites his own destruction by abusing Hector’s corpse. In 1139, the Second Lateran Council prohibited the use of crossbows against Christians because of the severe injuries they inflicted. Across history, norms have constrained both the conduct and weapons of war. Over time, the body of norms limiting weapons has also grown. The nuclear taboo is the most prominent example, but it is not the only modern weapons prohibition. Many states have accepted treaties banning chemical and biological weapons. Additional legal regimes—though not universally adopted—seek to prohibit anti-personnel landmines, cluster munitions, incendiary weapons, and blinding lasers, among other weapons.
Continue reading at the Irregular Warfare Initiative.
