Drones and Targeted Killing in the Middle East and Africa
An Appraisal of American Counterterrorism Policies
By (author) Christine Sixta Rinehart
Publication date:
06 December 2016Length of book:
196 pagesPublisher
Lexington BooksDimensions:
238x158mm6x9"
ISBN-13: 9781498526470
The United States has repeatedly used drones to kill terrorists in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen in an effort to decrease terrorism and the vitality of terrorist groups. Targeted killing through the use of drones has become a foreign policy weapon to keep the United States safe from further terrorist attacks. However, it is suspected that these killings has actually led to an increase in terrorist group recruitment, terrorist attacks, and empathy for the terrorist group from the local population in addition to several other unwanted repercussions. The two part research question this book attempts to answer is, “What is the effect of drone targeted killing on Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen? And is it a successful method in the War on Terror?”
Rinehart provides a deeply empirical look at the challenges of drone warfare and targeted killing based on thoroughly documented research, systematically examining the results of U.S. counter-terrorism policy in multiple theaters of conflict. Giving context and substance to the security situation in each country, she carefully chronicles the successes and failures with data-driven analysis balanced by observations from outcomes on the ground to the pilot’s remote control rooms. Her well-reasoned evaluation of counter-terrorism efforts finds striking failures in each country reviewed, noting an increase in terrorist attacks and suicide bombings, while meticulously tabulating the full costs of the U.S. drone program. Her timely work will greatly contribute to the dialogue on the effectiveness of new technologies in warfare.