Drone Debate

Avery Plaw is associate professor of political science and director of the university honors program at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Matthew S. Fricker is a co-founder and analyst at the Center for the Study of Targeted Killing at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.Carlos R. Colon is a co-founder and analyst at the Center for the Study of Targeted Killing at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Few political topics have drawn such debate in recent years both domestically and internationally as the continued American military reliance on unmanned aerial vehicles as part of overseas conflict strategy. Plaw, Fricker, and Colon masterfully cover the breadth and depth of drone usage across the globe. By examining drones from the perspectives of military strategy, ethics, and international law, the book avoids falling into any single approach to framing the drone debate—which most similar works unfortunately do. Furthermore, the authors craft a compelling narrative regarding international opinions about the use of drones, although the cited research is restrictive compared to all that is available. Most important, the book is not entirely US-centric; the authors look at how China and Israel use drones in their military strategies. Case studies from different countries focus on patterns and strike types, adding clear examples that help readers understand how complex the drone debate truly is. The book will speak to all readers from drone experts to those simply seeking more knowledge.Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty.

• Introduction: The Drone DebateChapter 1: A Brief Overview of Aerial Drones and their Military Use by the United StatesCase Study: The U.S. Drone Campaign in PakistanChapter 2: The Debate over Strategy: Are Drones Helping to Defeat al-Qaeda and Associated Forces?Case Study: The Drone War in YemenChapter 3: The Debate over Legality: Are Drone Strikes Permissible Under U.S. and International Law?Case Study: Signature StrikesChapter 4: The Ethical Debate: Are Drone Strikes Compatible with the Ideals of Just War?Case Study: Oversight and AccountabilityChapter 5: The Politics of Drone Strikes: What Political Considerations Shape the U.S. Drone Policy?Case Study: Interesting Drone PollsChapter 6: Emerging Issues: Will Armed Drones Proliferate Rapidly and What Impact Will They Have on International Security?Case Study: Non-U.S. Drone StrikesConclusion: The Age of Drones?About the AuthorsIndex