In a Policy brief, in the care of the Policy Center for the New South, Prof. Rachid El Houdaigui and Dr. Abdelhamid El Ouazzan praise a doctrine that is at least relevant to conflicts, whether social or others here and there around the world, namely the non-lethality of weapons to restore peace and the maintenance of order.
Prof. Rachid El Houdaigui is, among several other functions, Senior Fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, while Abdelhamid El Ouazzan, holder of a doctorate in international relations is associated with the AFAC Center for International Studies, Tangier-Morocco . The two men are co-authors of a ” policy brief “ entitled ” Non-Lethal Weapons: Towards Clean War ? »That the PCNS has just broadcast.
To get off on the right foot and to find our place, the definition of the adjective “lethal” is essential. The dictionary tells us this is what leads to death and its synonym, fatal, fatal, mortal … We will then easily understand that lethal weapons are those offensive which, since the invention of explosive powder, tells us the study n ‘are constantly doing damage and it goes through the rifle, the machine gun, the tank, the plane and nuclear in short all those based on the principle of destruction and in order to put their targets out of action. Also, that the partisans of this strategy calm their morbid ardor, the two specialists will take the party, one will say peaceful of the thing by treating the non-lethal side.
Besides, Professor El Houdaïgui in a statement to Hespress Fr will tell us that a ” non-lethal weapon (ANL) is a weapon designed not to kill or injure the target and also so that the environment is not damaged “.
These technologies, defend the two men, are also a boon for the armed forces acting within the framework of peacekeeping operations (PKO) or in an asymmetric context of low intensity. They are used by security and law enforcement forces, including in the fight against delinquency and organized crime, as well as for the protection of sensitive points.
But recalls the document, zero lethality cannot be guaranteed indefinitely. Any object could cause death if the use which is made of it does not correspond to the purpose for which it was designed. To be convinced of this, let us recall that airliners were transformed into cruise missiles, on September 11, 2001. In this regard, it is also necessary to recall the tragic use of an incapacitating gas to put an end to a terrorist attack launched in a Moscow theater in October 2002. The gas used (fentanyl) killed around 130 among the 830 hostages.
The technical spectrum of non-lethal weapons has continued to evolve over the past forty years, as the technological development has been dazzling and operational needs have become more and more precise. ” They are weapons of a mechanical, electrical, electromagnetic, biological and chemical nature “, Pr El Houdaïgui tells us again. ” Casually they can also fill military gapss ”.
If for the first, mechanical technology, it is mainly distinguished by the impact effect, thanks to the kinetic energy of contending objects (ammunition-sticks) or an effect of anti-mobility of personnel and equipment by nets and entanglement or retention barriers, the second list of electric weapons such as electric batons, grenades and electric mines, electrified water jets, neutralizing bracelets, and the electric pulse pistol known to the general public by the Taser which attacks the motor skills of the target by an incapacitating electric shock.
Substances of biological or synthetic (chemical) origin, on the other hand, are used as riot control agents causing temporary incapacity through irritation of the eyes (tearing and blepharospasm), which is generally referred to as tear gas. The anti-riot kit also includes smelly products based on foul-smelling chemicals.
Electromagnetic weapons, also known as directed energy, have a decisive advantage over the entire ANL range. This is its “rheostatic” capability, allowing the user to switch from “non-lethal mode” to “lethal mode” with the push of a selector button. Thus, the same weapon could proportion the effect according to the magnitude of the threat: give warning summons (suspect target), produce an inhibiting shock (recalcitrant target) or apply a lethal effect (imminent and characterized threat).
But the concept of this article continues the professor of international relations ” is above all to sensitize Moroccan researchers to strategic studies which are under-represented in the social sciences, even though this is an important field and which is at the intersection between the military, the technical, the political and even the economic and therefore the development and implementation of strategic thinking on the issue, in my opinion, is not at all a luxury but a necessity for national defense and national security ”.
The brief committed by El Houdaïgui and El Ouzzan indicates that “Substantial budgets are dedicated to all-round research and development in the non-lethal field “, And that it is a” fierce and close race among the inner circle of the wealthy, reminiscent of nuclear power in the last century “.
And the Senior Fellow at the PCNS to support, “ Indeed, we are in a changing world where the acceleration of the history of technology means that strategies evolve and military tactics too. “. And Rachid El Houdaïgui to add, ” we are in a world where threats and risks are asymmetric and therefore responses must adapt, hence the importance of technology which is today the pillar of the military industry. Morocco, which is interested in these questions, must take them into consideration, formalize them in a national strategic plan in the civil-military framework which must revolve around three elements or three points, the need for a military industry specialized in the question. , the need, I repeat once again, for strategic thinking and finally the need for a legal framework to encourage civil-military cooperation “.
As for the legal framework, there are no legal instruments specifically dedicated to LNAs, the document further tells us, they are considered generically. Nevertheless, by their (theoretical) definition, LNAs meet the principles of military necessity, humanity (limiting destruction) and proportionality, bringing the force engaged into line with the military advantage sought.
