Drones and Targeted Killing in the Middle East and Africa

Drones and Targeted Killing in the Middle East and Africa
Author: Christine Sixta Rinehart
Publisher: Lexington Books
Total Pages: 197
Release: 2016-12-06
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1498526489

The United States has repeatedly used drones to kill terrorists in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen in an effort to decrease terrorism and the vitality of terrorist groups. Targeted killing through the use of drones has become a foreign policy weapon to keep the United States safe from further terrorist attacks. However, it is suspected that these killings has actually led to an increase in terrorist group recruitment, terrorist attacks, and empathy for the terrorist group from the local population in addition to several other unwanted repercussions. The two part research question this book attempts to answer is, “What is the effect of drone targeted killing on Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen? And is it a successful method in the War on Terror?”

Drones and Targeted Killing

Drones and Targeted Killing
Author: Marjorie (ed.) Cohn
Publisher: Interlink Publishing
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2014-12-14
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1623710650

EXPERT ANALYSIS OF AN ILLEGAL AND IMMORAL PRACTICE The Bush administration detained and tortured suspected terrorists; the Obama administration assassinates them. Assassination, or targeted killing, off the battlefield not only causes more resentment against the United States, it is also illegal. In this interdisciplinary collection, human rights and political activists, policy analysts, lawyers and legal scholars, a philosopher, a journalist and a sociologist examine different aspects of the U.S. policy of targeted killing with drones and other methods. It explores the legality, morality and geopolitical considerations of targeted killing and resulting civilian casualties, and evaluates the impact on relations between the United States and affected countries. The book includes the documentation of civilian casualties by the leading non-governmental organization in this area; stories of civilians victimized by drones; an analysis of the first U.S. targeted killing lawsuit by the lawyer who brought the case; a discussion of the targeted killing cases in Israel by the director of PCATI which filed one of the lawsuits; the domestic use of drones; and the immorality of drones using Just War principles. Contributors include: Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Phyllis Bennis, Medea Benjamin, Marjorie Cohn, Richard Falk, Tom Hayden, Pardiss Kebriaei, Jane Mayer, Ishai Menuchin, Jeanne Mirer, John Quigley, Dr. Tom Reifer, Alice Ross, Jay Stanley, and Harry Van der Linden.

Drones and the Ethics of Targeted Killing

Drones and the Ethics of Targeted Killing
Author: Kenneth R. Himes, OFM
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 214
Release: 2015-09-03
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1442231572

Drones have become an essential part of U.S. national security strategy, but most Americans know little about how they are used, and we receive conflicting reports about their outcomes. In Drones and the Ethics of Targeted Killing, ethicist Kenneth R. Himes provides not only an overview of the role of drones in national security but also an important exploration of the ethical implications of drone warfare—from the impact on terrorist organizations and civilians to how piloting drones shapes soldiers. Targeted killings have played a role in politics from ancient times through today, so the ethical challenges around how to protect against threats are not new. Himes leads readers through the ethics of targeted killings in history from ancient times to the contemporary Israeli-Palestinian conflict, then looks specifically at the new issues raised through the use of drones. This book is a powerful look at a pressing topic today.

The Permanent War

The Permanent War
Author: The Washington Post
Publisher: Diversion Books
Total Pages: 121
Release: 2013-08-13
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1626810001

The Pulitzer Prize-nominated examination of the United States drone campaign, and U.S. counterterrorism policies. On January 30, 2013, President Barack Obama acknowledged publicly what most Americans already knew: The U.S. government was operating a covert drone campaign in Pakistan. Even as Obama maintained policy was for judicious actions only, his own administration was drawing up secret plans to institutionalize targeted killings in U.S. counter-terrorism policy. The scope of those plans remained hidden until The Washington Post published a three-part series as reporters Craig Whitlock, Greg Miller, Karen DeYoung, and Julie Tate explored how the use of drones moved from a temporary means to kill terrorists to a permanent weapon of war. Collected together for the first time, ?THE PERMANENT WAR is the result of a year of investigative reporting on the who, what, and how behind the targeted killing policies that will from the core of American counter-terrorism efforts for years to come.

The Drone Memos

The Drone Memos
Author: Jameel Jaffer
Publisher: New Press, The
Total Pages: 269
Release: 2010-01-12
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1620972603

“A trenchant summation” and analysis of the legal rationales behind the US drone policy of targeted killing of suspected terrorists, including US citizens (Publishers Weekly, starred review). In the long response to 9/11, the US government initiated a deeply controversial policy of “targeted killing”—the extrajudicial execution of suspected terrorists and militants, typically via drones. A remarkable effort was made to legitimize this practice; one that most human rights experts agree is illegal and that the United States has historically condemned. In The Drone Memos, civil rights lawyer Jameel Jaffer presents and assesses the legal memos and policy documents that enabled the Obama administration to put this program into action. In a lucid and provocative introduction, Jaffer, who led the ACLU legal team that secured the release of many of the documents, evaluates the drone memos in light of domestic and international law. He connects the documents’ legal abstractions to the real-world violence they allow, and makes the case that we are trading core principles of democracy and human rights for the illusion of security. “A careful study of a secretive counterterrorism infrastructure capable of sustaining endless, orderless war, this book is profoundly necessary.” —Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor and publisher of The Nation

Drone Strike–Analyzing the Impacts of Targeted Killing

Drone Strike–Analyzing the Impacts of Targeted Killing
Author: Mitt Regan
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 412
Release: 2022-03-31
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 3030911195

The intense debate over US targeted drone strikes outside war zones has been limited by the failure to review and assess a considerable body of quantitative research and qualitative material on the impacts of such strikes on terrorist groups and civilians. This book fills an important gap in the literature by conducting a careful and rigorous review of such evidence. It argues that decisions about the use of targeted strikes as a counterterrorism instrument, as well as legal and ethical evaluations of such use, must be informed by our best understanding of the insights that empirical evidence can provide on the effectiveness of strikes and the costs they impose on populations where they occur.

Drones, Surveillance, and Targeted Killings

Drones, Surveillance, and Targeted Killings
Author: Anne C. Cunningham
Publisher: Greenhaven Publishing LLC
Total Pages: 168
Release: 2016-12-15
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1534500367

This timely anthology examines the use of drones by the military, law enforcement, border patrol, and civilians. Articles condoning the use of drones in military engagements abroad are balanced with reportage of civilian deaths and resulting creation of more terrorists. Pieces touting the effectiveness of drones in domestic surveillance are countered by assertions that they violate Americans’ civil liberties. Opinions about the pros and cons of drone use in securing our borders, as well as the potential benefits and dangers of their commercial use, will add to readers’ deep understanding of this complex issue.

Preventive Force

Preventive Force
Author: Kerstin Fisk
Publisher: NYU Press
Total Pages: 383
Release: 2016-07-05
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1479881228

Examines the recent rise in the United States' use of preventive force More so than in the past, the US is now embracing the logic of preventive force: using military force to counter potential threats around the globe before they have fully materialized. While popular with individuals who seek to avoid too many “boots on the ground,” preventive force is controversial because of its potential for unnecessary collateral damage. Who decides what threats are ‘imminent’? Is there an international legal basis to kill or harm individuals who have a connection to that threat? Do the benefits of preventive force justify the costs? And, perhaps most importantly, is the US setting a dangerous international precedent? In Preventive Force, editors Kerstin Fisk and Jennifer Ramos bring together legal scholars, political scientists, international relations scholars, and prominent defense specialists to examine these questions, whether in the context of full-scale preventive war or preventive drone strikes. In particular, the volume highlights preventive drones strikes, as they mark a complete transformation of how the US understands international norms regarding the use of force, and could potentially lead to a ‘slippery slope’ for the US and other nations in terms of engaging in preventive warfare as a matter of course. A comprehensive resource that speaks to the contours of preventive force as a security strategy as well as to the practical, legal, and ethical considerations of its implementation, Preventive Force is a useful guide for political scientists, international relations scholars, and policymakers who seek a thorough and current overview of this essential topic.

The International Politics of Intelligence Sharing

The International Politics of Intelligence Sharing
Author: James Igoe Walsh
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Total Pages: 193
Release: 2010
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0231154100

The cross-border sharing of intelligence is fundamental to the establishment and preservation of security and stability. The American invasion of Iraq in 2003 was based in part on flawed intelligence, and current efforts to defeat al Qaeda would not be possible without an exchange of information among Britain, Pakistan, Indonesia, and the United States. While critical to national security and political campaigns, intelligence sharing can also be a minefield of manipulation and maneuvering, especially when secrecy makes independent verification of sources impossible. In The International Politics of Intelligence Sharing, James Igoe Walsh advances novel strategies for securing more reliable intelligence. His approach puts states that seek information in control of other states' intelligence efforts. According to this hierarchical framework, states regularly draw agreements in which one power directly monitors and acts on another power's information-gathering activities-a more streamlined approach that prevents the dissemination of false "secrets." In developing this strategy, Walsh draws on recent theories of international cooperation and evaluates both historical and contemporary case studies of intelligence sharing. Readers with an interest in intelligence matters cannot ignore this urgent, timely, and evidence-based book.

Analyzing the Drone Debates: Targeted Killing, Remote Warfare, and Military Technology

Analyzing the Drone Debates: Targeted Killing, Remote Warfare, and Military Technology
Author: James DeShaw Rae
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 238
Release: 2014-03-16
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1137381574

The book examines principal arguments for and against the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for surveillance and 'targeted killing.' Addressing both sides of the argument with clear and cogent details, the book provides a thorough introduction to ongoing debate about the future of warfare and its ethical implications.