Abstract

More than 50 years after introducing the term "non-lethal weapons" (NLWs) and over 20 years of adopting the non-lethality policy, there is still no commonly accepted definition of this class of weapons, and the term "non-lethal weapons" is still subject to debates. This problem affects almost all aspects in the field of non-lethal weapons and is cause of most incorrect interpretations and contradictions connected to NLWs. The purpose of this paper is to discuss and summarize the purpose, features and potential of NLWs, in order to help clarify some existing ambiguities, thus contributing to the proper understanding of the modern “non-lethal weapons” concept.