They Flout the Geneva Conventions at Every Turn. Now They Want One on CyberWar.

This really is laughable.  Pathetic, but laughable.   The United States and Russia, such devout adherents to the existing Geneva Conventions, are now proposing a new one to cope with potentially devastating cyber weapons.

The cyber proposal, seen exclusively by [BBC]  Newsnight, comes from the influential EastWest Institute in New York.


It describes "  rendering the Geneva and Hague conventions in cyberspace". 

The logic behind the move is that in the intermingled world of cyberspace, we may need to protect zones that run facilities such as hospitals or schools.

The draft document also calls for a fresh definition of "  nation state",  with new "  territories"   and players in cyberspace beyond government - such as multinationals, NGOs and citizens.


The proposal also says that ambiguity about what constitutes cyber conflict is delaying international policy to deal with it, and that perhaps the idea of "  peace"   or "  war"   is too simple in the internet age when the world could find itself in a third, "  other than war",  mode.

This could actually be a good idea, once they get all the considerable ambiguities sorted out, but I'd be content if these clown states simply observed the existing Conventions first.