Drones and Targeted Killing: Legal, Moral, and Geopolitical Issues

Expert analysis of an illegal and immoral practice. The Bush administration detained and tortured suspected terrorists; the Obama administration assassinated them; and the Trump administration will likely do both. Assassination, or targeted killing, off the battlefield not only causes more resentment against the United States, it is also illegal. In this interdisciplinary collection, human rights and political activists, policy analysts, lawyers and legal scholars, a philosopher, a journalist and a sociologist examine different aspects of the U.S. policy of targeted killing with drones and other methods. It explores the legality, morality and geopolitical considerations of targeted killing and resulting civilian casualties, and evaluates the impact on relations between the United States and affected countries. Contributors include: Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Phyllis Bennis, Medea Benjamin, Marjorie Cohn, Richard Falk, Tom Hayden, Pardiss Kebriaei, Jane Mayer, Ishai Menuchin, Jeanne Mirer, John Quigley, Tom Reifer, Alice Ross, Jay Stanley, Harry van der Linden, and Cian Westmoreland.