Drone: Remote Control Warfare

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Drone warfare described from the perspectives of drone operators victims of drone attacks anti-drone activists international law military thinkers & others"A thoughtful examination of the dilemmas this new weapon poses" -- Foreign Affairs Drones are changing the conduct of war Deployed at presidential discretion they can be used in regular war zones or to kill people in such countries as Yemen & Somalia where the United States is not officially at war Advocates say that drones are more precise than conventional bombers allowing warfare with minimal civilian deaths while keeping American pilots out of harm's way Critics say that drones are cowardly & that they often kill innocent civilians while terrorizing entire villages on the ground In this book Hugh Gusterson explores the significance of drone warfare from multiple perspectives drawing on accounts by drone operators victims of drone attacks anti-drone activists human rights activists international lawyers journalists military thinkers & academic experts Gusterson examines the way drone warfare has created commuter warriors & redefined the space of the battlefield He looks at the paradoxical mix of closeness & distance involved in remote killing is it easier than killing someone on the physical battlefield if you have to watch onscreen? He suggests a new way of understanding the debate over civilian casualties of drone attacks He maps "ethical slippage" over time in the Obama administration's targeting practices & he contrasts Obama administration officials' legal justification of drone attacks with arguments by international lawyers & NGOs