A theory of the drone
Grégoire Chamayou (Author), Janet Lloyd (Translator)
"Drone warfare has raised profound ethical and constitutional questions both in the halls of Congress and among the U.S. public. Not since debates over nuclear warfare has American military strategy been the subject of discussion in living rooms, classrooms, and houses of worship. Yet as this groundbreaking new work shows, the full implications of drones have barely been addressed in the recent media storm. In a unique take on a subject that has grabbed headlines and is consuming billions of taxpayer dollars each year, philosopher Grégoire Chamayou applies the lens of philosophy to our understanding of how drones are changing our world. For the first time in history, a state has claimed the right to wage war across a mobile battlefield that potentially spans the globe. Remote-control flying weapons, he argues, take us well beyond even George W. Bush's justification for the war on terror. What we are seeing is a fundamental transformation of the laws of war that have defined military conflict as between combatants. As more and more drones are launched into battle, war now has the potential to transform into a realm of secretive, targeted assassinations of individuals -- beyond the view and control not only of potential enemies but also of citizens of democracies themselves. Far more than a simple technology, Chamayou shows, drones are profoundly influencing what it means for a democracy to wage war. A Theory of the Drone will be essential reading for all who care about this important question."--Provided by publisher
1 online resource (292 pages) : illustrations
9781595589767, 1595589767
894790043
Techniques and tactics. Methodologies for a hostile environment ; The genealogy of the predator ; The theoretical principles of manhunting ; Surveillance and annihilation ; Pattern-of-life analysis ; Kill box ; Counterinsurgency from the air ; Vulnerabilities
Ethos and psyche. Drones and kamikazes ; "That others may die" ; A crisis in military ethos ; Psychopathologies of the drone ; Killing from a distance
Necroethics. Combatant immunity ; A humanitarian weapon ; Precision
The principles of the philosophy of the right to kill. Indelicate murderers ; Warfare without combat ; License to kill
Political bodies. In war as in peace ; Democratic militarism ; The essence of combatants ; The fabrication of political automata
Epilogue: On war, from a distance
"Originally published in France as Théorie du Drone by La Fabrique Editions, Paris, 2013"--Title page verso
Translated from the French