Opposing Perspectives on the Drone Debate - by B Strawser & L Hajjar & S Levine & F Naqvi & J Witt (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Does the lethal use of drones pose any new or difficult moral problems? Or is the controversy over these weapons merely a distraction from deeper questions regarding the justice of war and the United States' bellicose foreign policy? Opposing Perspectives on the Drone Debate pulls no punches in answering these questions as five scholars square off in a lively debate over the ethics of drones and their contentious use in a point-counterpoint debate. The contributing authors are some of the foremost thinkers in international affairs today, spanning the disciplines of philosophy, sociology, political science, and law. Topics debated range from the US's contested policy of so-called "targeted killing" in Pakistan's tribal regions to fears over the damaging effects such weaponry has on our democratic institutions to the more abstract moral questions raised by killing via remote control such as the duty to capture over kill.

Review Quotes

'The issues of 'drone strikes' and unmanned systems have presented a truly 21st century challenge to international peace and justice, and those who study them. Opposing Perspective on the Drone Debate tackles the problem in a useful way, showing how this is not an easily cut Gordian knot of morality, but a complex debate that will be with us for years to come.'- P.W. Singer, author of Wired for War: the Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century and Cybersecurity and Cyberwar: What Everyone Needs to Know"The distinguished authors here have provided fascinatingly varied arguments on the difficult but also urgent question of if, when, and how drones should be used as an instrument of foreign policy. I learned a tremendous amount by reading this and it certainly helped to clear up my own previously muddled perspective. Should be required reading for policy makers, scholars of international law, as well as moral theorists." - Abbas S. Raza, Founding Editor, 3 Quarks Daily'There is no more important issue concerning the ethics, law, and policy of modern, high-tech warfare than the controversy about the expanding use of drones in surveillance and targeted killing. There is no better introduction to the controversy than the Strawser et. al symposium, Opposing Perspectives on the Drone Debate. It is a must read for anyone interested in the topic.'- Don Howard, Director, Reilly Center for Science, Technology, and Values, University of Notre Dame, and, Secretary, International Society for Military Ethics

About the Author

Bradley J. Strawser is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the Naval Postgraduate School, USA, and Research Associate at Oxford University's Institute for Ethics, Law, and Armed Conflict, UK.