Introduction

Abstract

The world is in the midst of a revolutionary shift in warfare that has profound implications for the future of international security as drones give armed forces unprecedented capacities for managing the risks associated with war. The introduction sets out the book’s goal of clarifying the controversy over drones and presents three central arguments that structure the book. First, drones are not inherently moral or immoral but rather enable ranges of moral or immoral conduct. Second, most existing drones, as well as many drones that are in development, are morally defensible. Third, because the morality of drone warfare depends heavily on how drones are used and how specific variants are designed, resolving the controversy surrounding drones depends on developing effective regulations.