Law Commons^™

Cold War Legacy And Continuing Temptation: Tactical Nuclear Weapons In International Humanitarian Law, Stefan Kirchner

Stefan Kirchner

During the Cold War as well as in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, low yield tactical nuclear weapons have been deployed or, in the latter case, at least envisaged (again). Of particular interest in the early years of the 21^st century have been so called bunker busters, nuclear weapons which can penetrate the ground and which can be used to destroy underground facilities, such as Iranian nuclear facilities. In this article, the role of tactical nuclear weapons during the Cold War and today is explained and the legality of the use of tactical nuclear weapons, in particular …