Agent Orange: On the Consequences of the Use of Herbicides during the Vietnam War for International Warfare Conventions and the Role it Played for Subsequent International Humanitarian and Environmental Law

Abstract

This bachelor’s thesis addresses the consequences of the use of herbicides during the Vietnam War for international warfare conventions and focuses on its role in subsequent international humanitarian and environmental legislation. The main research question is: What were the consequences of the use of herbicides during the Vietnam War for international warfare conventions and what was its role in subsequent international humanitarian and environmental legislation? We can see that, whilst the use of Agent Orange has changed the way the world thinks about herbicides, there is still a lot of ground that needs to be covered. Environmental protection is a paramount international goal that has often taken a backseat to other goals in the past. Although steps have been taken to stop the use of herbicides internationally, the US still feels justified it retains the right to use herbicides strategically. Also, there are still several pitfalls regarding international lawmaking which stand in the way of prohibiting herbicides. These include the way states do not necessarily use herbicides for warfare purposes, or how intra-national parties and fringe-groups do not feel obligated to respond to international laws.