Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2015
One of the most significant and controversial developments in
contemporary warfare is the use of unmanned aerial vehicles,
commonly referred to as drones. In the last decade, US drone
strikes have more than doubled and their deployment is transforming
the way wars are fought across the globe. But how did drones claim
such an important role in modern military planning? And how are
they changing military strategy and the ethics of war and peace?
What standards might effectively limit their use? Should there even
be a limit?
Drone warfare is the first book to engage fully with the
political, legal, and ethical dimensions of UAVs. In it, political
scientist Sarah Kreps and philosopher John Kaag discuss the
extraordinary expansion of drone programs from the Cold War to the
present day and their so-called effectiveness in
conflict zones. Analysing the political implications of drone
technology for foreign and domestic policy as well as public
opinion, the authors go on to examine the strategic position of the
United States - by far the world s most prolific employer of
drones - to argue that US military supremacy could be used to
enshrine a new set of international agreements and treaties aimed
at controlling the use of UAVs in the future.
