Awards
- Winner of <PrizeName>Winner, 2017 Roy C. Palmer Civil Liberties Prize</PrizeName> 2017
- Winner of Winner, 2017 Roy C. Palmer Civil Liberties Prize 2017
- Winner of Winner, 2017 Roy C. Palmer Civil Liberties Prize</PrizeName> 2017
Overview
Drone warfare described from the perspectives of drone operators, victims of drone attacks, anti-drone activists, international law, military thinkers, and others. "" A thoughtful examination of the dilemmas this new weapon poses."" -Foreign Affairs Drones are changing the conduct of war. Deployed at presidential discretion, they can be used in regular war zones or to kill people in such countries as Yemen and Somalia, where the United States is not officially at war. Advocates say that drones are more precise than conventional bombers, allowing warfare with minimal civilian deaths while keeping American pilots out of harm's way. Critics say that drones are cowardly and that they often kill innocent civilians while terrorizing entire villages on the ground. In this book, Hugh Gusterson explores the significance of drone warfare from multiple perspectives, drawing on accounts by drone operators, victims of drone attacks, anti-drone activists, human rights activists, international lawyers, journalists, military thinkers, and academic experts. Gusterson examines the way drone warfare has created commuter warriors and redefined the space of the battlefield. He looks at the paradoxical mix of closeness and distance involved in remote killing- is it easier than killing someone on the physical battlefield if you have to watch onscreen? He suggests a new way of understanding the debate over civilian casualties of drone attacks. He maps ""ethical slippage"" over time in the Obama administration's targeting practices. And he contrasts Obama administration officials' legal justification of drone attacks with arguments by international lawyers and NGOs.
Full Product Details
Author: Hugh Gusterson (George Mason University)
Publisher: MIT Press Ltd
Imprint: MIT Press
Dimensions:
Width: 13.70cm
, Height: 1.60cm
, Length: 20.30cm
ISBN: 9780262534413
ISBN 10: 026253441
Pages: 216
Publication Date: 15 September 2017
Recommended Age: From 18 years
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Manufactured on demand
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.
Reviews
[I]nsightful. Publishers Weekly Among a blizzard of new books probing drone warfare, Hugh Gusterson's slim volume is among the most careful, concise and insightful... Even anyone who thinks they know all there is to know about drone warfare will profit from Gusterson's rich and penetrating study. Logos: A Journal of Modern Society & Culture In this excellent book, the anthropologist Hugh Gusterson argues that drones have fundamentally transformed the nature of war. Prospect Magazine [A] thoughtful examination of the dilemmas this new weapon poses. Foreign Affairs
[A] thoughtful examination of the dilemmas this new weapon poses. * Foreign Affairs * In this excellent book, the anthropologist Hugh Gusterson argues that drones have fundamentally transformed the nature of war. * Prospect Magazine * Among a blizzard of new books probing drone warfare, Hugh Gusterson's slim volume is among the most careful, concise and insightful.... Even anyone who thinks they know all there is to know about drone warfare will profit from Gusterson's rich and penetrating study. * Logos: A Journal of Modern Society & Culture * [I]nsightful. * Publishers Weekly *
Author Information
Hugh Gusterson is Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. He is the author of Nuclear Rites and People of the Bomb- Portraits of America's Nuclear Complex.
