Drones and Civilians: Emerging Evidence of the Terrorizing Effects of the U.S. Drone Programs

The Biden Administration, in one of its first consequential foreign policy decisions, announced that it would undertake a comprehensive review the United States drone program. Officials promised this consider all available evidence. In Article, show U.S. program violates international law because ways terrorizes civilian populations. officials from both parties have argued drones are an effective part counterterrorism strategy. But effectiveness is not legal standard. requires unduly harm civilians. For as long has been using drones, communities targeted countries contended kills innocent typically minimized these claims, even acknowledged some deaths. Until recently, was state argument: effective, with minimal effects on civilians, and others caused undue to Neither side found evidence cited by other credible or gave much credence side’s arguments. There now growing body empirical shows how civilians violate law. Drawing research several disciplines, I affects population, militants alike. if strikes kill terrorist leaders—strikes successful—militants shift their attacks military targets also main reason militant violence goes down themselves but monitoring surveillance apparatus associated Areas which maintains active strike under persistent monitoring. Communications monitored, movements tracked intelligence-gathering operations ongoing. Civilians terrorized practices. Taken together, they indiscriminate: alike, little effort made reduce harms.