The Drone Debate: A Primer On The U.S. Use Of Unmanned Aircraft Outside Conventional Battlefields

The U.S. government s covert use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to hunt and kill suspected terrorists outside of conventional war zones is occurring on a massive scale. Over the last nine years, the United States is credibly reported to have carried out at least 360 covert drone strikes in Northwest Pakistan alone, killing 2,783 people, including many civilians. Strikes have also been carried out in Yemen, Somalia, and Libya. In fact, the use of drones under President Obama has come to define the War on Terror. Such strikes have generated growing attention and controversy. John Brennan, CIA Director, has claimed that the strikes are legal, ethical, and wise, but in a March 2013 report, UN Special Rapporteur Christof Heyns suggested that they may constitute war crimes. Many key aspects of the program need to be examined, including its scope (with several thousand people already killed), the means by which terrorists are identified (including pattern-of-life targeting), the rules of engagement under which it is conducted, the actual number of civilian casualties, the impact on communities living under drones, the magnitude of international and domestic opposition, and the specific case that the U.S. could offer for the strikes permissibility under international law. The book aims to answer such questions by offering a thorough investigation of the where, why, how, and when of the United States' use of UAVs. Beginning with a historical overview of the use of drones in warfare, it then addresses whether targeted killings operations are strategically wise, whether they are permissible under international law, and the related ethical issues. It also looks at the political factors behind the use of drones, including domestic and global attitudes toward their use and potential issues of proliferation and escalation. Finally, the use of drones by other countries such as Israel and China is examined. Each chapter features a case study that highlights particular incidents and patterns of operation in specific regions, including Yemen, Somalia, Pakistan, and Libya and strike types (signature strikes, personality strikes, etc.)." 9781442230583 1442230584 0 Drone aircraft NOT_MATURE http://books.google.com/books/content?id=VzVKngEACAAJ&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=5&source=gbs_api en

• • Author: Avery Plaw, Matthew S. Fricker, Carlos R. Colon
• • Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• • Publication Date: Dec 24, 2015
• • Number of Pages: 356 pages
• • Language: English
• • Binding: Hardcover
• • ISBN-10: 1442230584
• • ISBN-13: 9781442230583