Rethinking the Drone War
National Security, Legitimacy, and Civilian Casualties in U.S. Counterterrorism Operations
Larry Lewis and Diane M. Vavrichek
DOI: 10.56686/9780997317435
ABOUT THE BOOK
This volume provides concrete recommendations for policy makers as well as military commanders, a number of which have, since the time of its writing, been incorporated into the recent U.S. policy guidelines related to civilian casualties. Although this volume focuses specifically on current counterterrorism practices, its analysis, frameworks, and conclusions can be applied in varying degrees to emerging technologies as well. These considerations can help a government ensure that its use of force is not only effective, but also responsible and consonant with its larger interests.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I. Drone Strikes in Pakistan: Assessing Civilian Casualties
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Drone Strike Casualty Estimates
Chapter 3: Discrepancies in Civilian Casualty Estimates
Chapter 4: Platform Precision or Comprehensive Process?
Chapter 5: The Drone Campaign and Civilian Harm
Chapter 6: Conclusions and Recommendations
PART II. The Future of Drone Strikes: A Framework for Analyzing Policy Options
Chapter 7: Introduction
Chapter 8: Framework and Policy Options
Chapter 9: Military Effectiveness
Chapter 10: Legitimacy
Chapter 11: Anticipating Net Effectiveness
Chapter 12: Conclusions and Recommendations
PART III. Improving Lethal Action: Learning and Adapting in U.S. Counterterrorism Operations
Chapter 13: Introduction
Chapter 14: An Analytical Approach to Improve Lethal Action Operations
Chapter 15: Illustrating the Approach
Chapter 16: Implementing the Approach
Chapter 17: Benefits of the Process
Chapter 18: Conclusions and Recommendations
PART IV. Security and Legitimacy: Learning from the Past Decade of Operations
Chapter 19: Introduction
Chapter 20: Lesson One: Promoting Legitimacy
Chapter 21: Lesson Two: Practicing Legitimacy
Chapter 22: Conclusions and Recommendations
Appendix A: Title 10, Title 50, and Oversight
Appendix B: Covert Actions