Drones and the Ethics of Targeted Killing

Following the attacks of 9/11 the United States adopted a policy of targeted killing (TK) as a key element in the war against terrorists. Steven David, an Israeli political philosopher who has written extensively on the topic, defines TK as "the intentional slaying of a specific individual or group of individuals undertaken with explicit government approval." Both the U.S. military and the Central Intelligence Agency have engaged in the practice of TK. The military used it as part of combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq; the CIA has followed the practice in its anti-terrorist strategies in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia. While drones have surely encouraged an expansion of the practice, TK has also involved missions by U.S. Special Operations forces as well as the use of cruise missiles. Understanding the practice of TK is important since it is likely to grow as an element of U.S. military policy. Drones and the Ethics of Targeted Killing introduces readers to the concept of targeted killing, providing both historical background and contemporary context.
The book explores these issues from the perspective of Christian ethics, paying particular attention to the topic of unmanned drones.