From Albert Beale, London, UK
You discuss the threat of fully autonomous weapons, programmed to kill without human intervention. In a previous era that saw the rise of a new and horrific way of killing – the spread of nuclear weapons in the decades from the end of the second world war – there was an interesting political development. A new breed of “nuclear pacifists” emerged, people who, though not previously against all warfare unconditionally, decided that the increased danger of nuclear weapons was such that the only answer was to renounce all war entirely (Leader and p 4, 20 June).
The pacifist movement at the time was greatly strengthened by the new influx. Perhaps this latest development will also horrify people sufficiently for them to completely abandon support for the existence of any military forces. As a pacifist, I hope this obscene new cloud does indeed have such a silver lining.
