THE LEGAL STATUS OF LASER-WEAPONS THAT BLIND

In response to growing concerns over the production, deployment, and u se of laser weapons that cause blinding, the international community i n 1995 convened an international conference to restrict the use and tr ansfer of blinding laser weapons. The result was the Fourth Additional Protocol to the 1980 United Nations Convention on Certain Conventiona l Weapons. In doing so, a significant step was taken towards restricti ng the intentional blinding of combatants in time of war. This article provides a review of the process by which the Fourth Additional Proto col was drafted and an analysis of its legal impact on the use of lase r weapon systems.