Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I Drones on the Ground
- Part II Drones and the Laws of War
- Part III Drones and Policy
- 11 “Bring on the Magic”
- 12 The Five Deadly Flaws of Talking About Emerging Military Technologies and the Need for New Approaches to Law, Ethics, and War
- 13 Drones and Cognitive Dissonance
- 14 Predator Effect
- 15 Disciplining Drone Strikes
- 16 World of Drones
- Part IV Drones and the Future of War
- Index
- References
15 - Disciplining Drone Strikes
Just War in the Context of Counterterrorism
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 December 2014
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I Drones on the Ground
- Part II Drones and the Laws of War
- Part III Drones and Policy
- 11 “Bring on the Magic”
- 12 The Five Deadly Flaws of Talking About Emerging Military Technologies and the Need for New Approaches to Law, Ethics, and War
- 13 Drones and Cognitive Dissonance
- 14 Predator Effect
- 15 Disciplining Drone Strikes
- 16 World of Drones
- Part IV Drones and the Future of War
- Index
- References
Summary
Drones, Ethics, and Just War
During the Obama administration, drones have become a key weapon in the fight against al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups. Indeed, drones mark a substantive shift in war fighting. Gone is George W. Bush’s era of talk of a “global war on terror” and full-scale conventional invasions. In their place, we now hear references to asymmetrical war, Special Forces, and drones. Mr. Bush’s “long wars” have become Mr. Obama “drone wars.”
The change in policy is not simply that of one administration versus another. Rather, it helps explain the recent, brief history of drone strikes. As early as the 2008 presidential campaign, candidate Obama vowed to step up the fight against al-Qaeda by making greater use of drones, especially in Pakistan. True to his word, Obama’s first term saw a marked increase in the deployment of drones, especially in the Pakistani tribal areas. The policy, of course, has proven controversial in Pakistan, with traditional allies, and with segments of the US population, although sizable majorities of Americans continue to support Obama’s aggressive use of drones overseas. Even as critics questioned Obama’s reliance on drone strikes, the administration was dramatically reducing the number of strikes, tightening the requirements for a strike to be authorized, and shifting control from the CIA to the Pentagon.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Drone WarsTransforming Conflict, Law, and Policy, pp. 285 - 299Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2014