Abstract
This chapter discusses some of the most common criticisms of drones: that they are responsible for targeted killings, dangerously unreliable, facilitate worrisome civil–military technology sharing, mediate war in dangerous ways, and cause arms races. These objections raise some plausible concerns, but take them too far. Although drones can be misused in the same ways as other types of weapons (e.g., to carry out intentional attacks on civilians), they nevertheless enable their users to wage wars with greater moral sensitivity by increasing the scope of moral conduct and providing mechanisms for restricting or punishing immoral actions. It is vital to identify morally problematic ways of using drones, which may be subject to regulation, while still recognizing that drones can increase compliance with moral norms.
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Schulzke, M. (2017). The Moral Landscape of Drone Warfare. In: The Morality of Drone Warfare and the Politics of Regulation. New Security Challenges. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-53380-7_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-53380-7_3
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Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-137-53379-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-53380-7
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