Drones, war and diplomacy : concepts and (in-)coherence?

Abstract

In 2001, with the initiation of the Global War on Terror (GWOT) in response to the 9/11 attacks, drones began to emerge more clearly from under the cloak of secrecy that had long shrouded them. The ‘drone debate’ ensued as scholars, analysts and journalists identified dissention within the US government (drones’ main employer) about their use for targeted killing, against whom, and to what end(s) and amid developing controversies. The ‘drone debate’ – a largely US-centric debate but with international implications – focused largely on targeted killing swiftly took shape. However, what precisely drones were did not, and conceptualisations were typically overly broad or narrow and limited; an issue that has continued to affect them. The Predator drone became emblematic of drones and the GWOT, and its use encapsulated paradox: precision capability and the infliction of politically sensitive civilian casualties. Consequently, and as extant definitions and conceptualisations of drones neither aligned nor provided precision about what drones are, and often conflated different technologies, substantial confusion has abounded. In turn, so have complications and contention with policy, more theoretical and practical ramifications and while drones proliferate rapidly in myriad forms and are increasingly influential. Indeed, as drones have appeared to undergo great change in themselves and in what they affect they have exhibited protean qualities. Consideration of this characteristic serves to enable response to two key questions principally regarding the ‘drone debate’ including through three case studies (Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Yemen), and expert respondents’ views of drones and their use in these locations: (1) why has a clear and coherent conceptualisation of drones been lacking? (2) Is one possible, including to attain appropriate clarity about drones and their past, current and future policy, theoretical and practical implications, and the cumulation of knowledge about them? Several areas for further research are also articulated.