The effectiveness of drone strikes in counterinsurgency and counterterrorism campaigns / James Igoe Walsh

By: Contributor(s): Language: English Publication details: Carlisle, PA : Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College 2013Description: xi, 61 p. : ill. ; 23 cmISBN:
  • 1584875852
  • 9781584875857
Subject(s): Online resources:
Contents:
Introduction -- Why drones are different -- Drones and deterrence : three perspectives. Drones as selective violence -- Drone strikes and the resilience of insurgent organizations -- Drone strikes as indiscriminate violence -- Drones and counterinsurgency : what does the evidence tell us? Challenges in measuring drone strikes and insurgent activity -- Effects of drone strikes on insurgent activity -- Policy and strategy implications.
Summary: The United States increasingly relies on unmanned aerial vehicles to target insurgent and terrorist groups around the world. This monograph analyzes the available research and evidence that assesses the political and military consequences of drone strikes. It is not clear if drone strikes have degraded their targets, or that they kill enough civilians to create sizable public backlashes against the United States. Drones are a politically and militarily attractive way to counter insurgents and terrorists, but, paradoxically, this may lead to their use in situations where they are less likely to be effective and where they are difficult to predict consequences.
Item type: monograph
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Holdings
Current library Call number Status Date due Barcode
SIPRI Library and Documentation 355 Walsh Available G13/514

"September 2013." ; SIP1311

Includes bibliographical references (pages 54-61).

Introduction -- Why drones are different -- Drones and deterrence : three perspectives. Drones as selective violence -- Drone strikes and the resilience of insurgent organizations -- Drone strikes as indiscriminate violence -- Drones and counterinsurgency : what does the evidence tell us? Challenges in measuring drone strikes and insurgent activity -- Effects of drone strikes on insurgent activity -- Policy and strategy implications.

The United States increasingly relies on unmanned aerial vehicles to target insurgent and terrorist groups around the world. This monograph analyzes the available research and evidence that assesses the political and military consequences of drone strikes. It is not clear if drone strikes have degraded their targets, or that they kill enough civilians to create sizable public backlashes against the United States. Drones are a politically and militarily attractive way to counter insurgents and terrorists, but, paradoxically, this may lead to their use in situations where they are less likely to be effective and where they are difficult to predict consequences.

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