Abstract
Technology has changed the face of warfare over the course of history, and is fundamentally changing the way governments respond to threats against national security in times of peace and war, and in areas defined as both. In such environments, the application of technology leading to the violent and destructive ends of militants has undeniably led to the loss of civilians. When the interests of states, the pursuit of security and the emergence of new technology coalesce, we are forced to consider the matter of legitimacy.
Steven J Barela takes up this timely problem via three distinct categories: legality, morality and efficacy. This weighty 14-chapter volume brings together 17 learned scholars writing on these three areas in the context of drone killings within the international realm or which take place across international borders. Many positions regarding the use of armed drones for targeted killings are evident throughout this book and reflect the discordant positions held by scholars, policymakers and non-experts around the world.
Ranging from descriptive to analytical to philosophical, the chapters present diverse perspectives that, taken together, form a policy proposal. Jointly, they offer recommendations for how oversight could be shaped and how armed drones ought to be managed in a way that might benefit governments and their citizens. The chapters show that the interaction between legal and moral arguments can form positive positions on legitimacy at home and potentially, although more problematically, abroad. They call for heightened awareness of actions abroad so that a more viable and sustainable security policy can be built.
This book is aimed at a very broad readership from expert scholars to professionals, to students wanting to accrue diverse levels of knowledge about drone killing, drone usage and drone legitimacy. The contributors of the volume go beyond readers’ expectations, producing a lucid and thought-provoking book which extends the research agenda on technology, weapons and war in new directions.
Legitimacy and Drones: Investigating the Legality, Morality and Efficacy of UCAVs serves as the basis for a second wave of drone research through constructive theoretical, methodological and empirical considerations. As debates over the use of armed drones mature in the coming years and decades, the volume provides a framework for addressing existing questions and raising new ones, especially in view of the fact that such debates are far from being conclusive.