Contesting control: Mechanisms of norm stagnation in the CCW debate on autonomous weapon systems

Despite more than a decade of deliberation, efforts to develop a shared norm for autonomous weapon systems (AWS) within the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) have stalled. This article argues that this stagnation is an actively produced political outcome shaped by proactive contestation during norm emergence. Extending an existing model of norm emergence phases and building on contestation theories, it names and operationalizes norm stagnation as a distinct stage-III outcome of agenda diffusion, in which issue creation succeeds but candidate-norm consolidation fails. It situates this contestation as a discursive and procedural struggle within a formal multilateral forum, complementing accounts that locate early norm change in operational practice outside it. Drawing on consensus documents, working papers, and state statements, the article presents a qualitative case study of CCW deliberations on AWS. It thereby contributes to a broader understanding of how contestation shapes the early stages of norm development.