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Drone: Remote Control Warfare Hardcover – January 1, 2016

by Hugh Gusterson (Author)

4.3 29 ratings

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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.

Print length

199 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Mit Pr
Publication date

January 1, 2016
Dimensions

6 x 1 x 8.5 inches
ISBN-10

9780262034678
ISBN-13

978-0262034678
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0262034670
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mit Pr (January 1, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 199 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780262034678
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0262034678
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.1 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,005,624 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,830 in National & International Security (Books)
- #68,195 in Engineering (Books)

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4.3 29 ratings

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Atom Spiegel

A nuanced and interesting look at a complex and important issue

Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2016

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I read this book for an anthropology class I am taking in grad school. I was expecting more of a traditional ethnography based on Gusterson's past work, but this one was unique. It blurs the lines at times between an academic work of anthropology and a piece of journalism. But either way it is a great read that kept me interested all the way through, which is not something that can be said for a lot of the readings in grad school.

Gusterson brings a level of analysis to the subject that is rarely seen. He examines the issue thoroughly from multiple perspectives providing some nuance on an issue that is often seen as very black and white. It's probably not going to satisfy the dogmatic folks on either side of the argument, but I think that is what makes this work important.

5 people found this helpful

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bill

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2018

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great book i could not set it down

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Paul D.

Fascinating discussion of US drone use in war. Especially ...

Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2018

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Fascinating discussion of US drone use in war. Especially disconcerting was the Obama administration's embrace of drones while they at the same time were withdrawing American troops and trying to disengage from Iraq and Afghanistan. Gusterson's sources were in large part journalists and former drone pilots who have written of their experience. Just how typical the cases discussed by Gusterson were is difficult to evaluate.
I look forward to a second edition discussing drone use during the Trump administration. (I am reading this one year into the Trump administration.) I'd suspect use has increased as have civilian casualties, but we do not yet have the data to confirm that.

2 people found this helpful

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G. Buntain

Thought provoking piece of work

Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2017

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Prior to reading this book I considered drone warfare to be a very attractive way to project power and lethality without putting American lives at risk. While the book did not totally turn me against the use of drones in warfare, it made me realize the topic is much more complicated and fraught with unintended consequences than I realized. This a well-written, thought-provoking work will make the reader re-think and re-evaluate their opinions on the uses of drones in modern war fighting.

3 people found this helpful

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R. Schechter

Thorough and thought provoking review of subject

Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2017

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I found this book highly readable, entertaining, and informative. It is very scholarly and well researched, but not at all stodgy. The subject is reviewed from a broad variety of perspectives, and includes extensive footnotes for further reading. Gusterson paints some frightening but plausible scenarios for the future, which we all need to think about. I strongly recommend this book for politicians, generals, and anyone else concerned about the future of warfare and civil liberties.

2 people found this helpful

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Dave Bühler, PhD

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2017

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Brilliant study Of droNes!

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Fibonacci

My only criticism of this book is its subtitle, ...

Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2016

My only criticism of this book is the subtitle, "Remote Control Warfare": it fails to convey its essence. An anthropologist, Gusterson not only sets out in chilling detail what warfare has become, he challenges the fiction that it is anonymous and precise. As Sherry Turkle notes (on the back cover), "Only by muddying the waters can we bear to acknowledge what we have invented: a new and oddly intimate way station in the mechanization of death." Gusterson explores the subjective underside every aspect of this mechanization, from commuter warriors to unexamined assumptions in design and deployment, and why it matters. This book is indispensable reading for everyone concerned about drone warfare.

3 people found this helpful

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bierhausser

excellent book, arrived safely, wonderful reading.

Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2019

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excellent book, arrived safely, wonderful reading.

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Lucius

Exzellente Zusammenfassung der Diskussion

Reviewed in Germany on November 13, 2017

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Wenn man nur 1 Buch über Drohnenkriege lesen will, sollte es (Stand 2017) dieses sein. Gut geschrieben, urteilsfreudig, aber immer gut begründet und vor allem inhaltlich souverän auf der Höhe der Diskussion. Lohnt aufmerksame Lektüre.

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