Armed Drones and the Ethics of War

Military virtue in a post-heroic age

By:

Christian Enemark

Format:

Hardback

Series:

War, Conflict and Ethics

Show Hide Adult Content

$410.99

Available from supplier

Usually ships in 3-4 weeks

0 in Trolley

Price Match

Wrap this item as a gift ($5.90) - add a free gift card on the next page

Buy Now, Pay Later with:

4 payments of $102.75 with Afterpay Learn more

Availability

Delivering to:

Estimated arrival:

Around 11-21 June using International Courier

Description

This book assesses the ethical implications of using armed unmanned aerial vehicles (‘hunter-killer drones’) in contemporary conflicts. The American way of war is trending away from the heroic and towards the post-heroic, driven by a political preference for air-powered management of strategic risks and the reduction of physical risk to US personnel. The recent use of drones in the War on Terror has demonstrated the power of this technology to transcend time and space, but there has been relatively little debate in the United States and elsewhere over the embrace of what might be regarded as politically desirable and yet morally worrisome: risk-free killing. Arguably, the absence of a relationship of mutual risk between putative combatants poses a fundamental challenge to the status of war as something morally distinguishable from other forms of violence, and it also undermines the professional virtue of the warrior as a courageous risk-taker. This book considers the use of armed drones in the light of ethical principles that are intended to guard against unjust increases in the incidence and lethality of armed conflict. The evidence and arguments presented indicate that, in some respects, the use of armed drones is to be welcomed as an ethically superior mode of warfare. Over time, however, their continued and increased use is likely to generate more challenges than solutions, and perhaps do more harm than good. This book will be of much interest to students of the ethics of war, airpower, counter-terrorism, strategic studies and security studies in general.

Author Biography:

Christian Enemark is a Reader in the Department of International Politics at Aberystwyth University.

Release date Australia

August 22nd, 2013

Author

Christian Enemark

Audiences

Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Undergraduate

Illustrations

2 Tables, black and white

Pages

160

Series

War, Conflict and Ethics

Dimensions

156x234x15

ISBN-13

9780415540520

Product ID

19852711

Customer reviews

Nobody has reviewed this product yet. You could be the first!

Write a Review

Marketplace listings

There are no Marketplace listings available for this product currently.
Already own it? Create a free listing and pay just 9% commission when it sells!

Sell Yours Here