Ban Killer Drones and Robots (Part 1)

Photo from page 72 of “The Many Humanitarian Impact of Drones” by Reaching Critical Will (permission granted on page 1). © REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah 

By Eileen Kurkoski
Disarm/End Wars Committee

We hope you will take the time to read The Many Humanitarian Impact of Drones, a rare, comprehensive book produced by Reaching Critical Will and Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom to introduce us all to the complexity of drones warfare.

Christof Heyns emphasizes the evolving and future use of drones in the preface, raising profound questions about peace, security, our values, and the legal pathways available to us.

The primary sections include:

I. Descriptions of the harms caused by the use of armed drones:

• casualties (and the fallacy of ‘precision’ strikes); 
• suffering adverse psychological consequences (PTSD); 
• harm to the environment (rarely considered); 
• political harm to local, national, and global governance; 
• the secrecy of the drones program, which is having deleterious impacts on systems of transparency and accountability, and on the rule of law.

II. Analyses of these harms from a variety of critical perspectives, including law:

• how drone strikes are threatening crucial human rights protections;
• the various types of liability in international law for countries that assist other countries’ armed drone programs;
• the gendered impact of the policies and practices of drone programs and the culture of violence, and ways in which the use of drones can constitute gender-based violence and undermine gender equality;
• the moral and ethical aspects of drone use, as well as the psychological impact on operators;
• religious perspectives of faith communities regarding armed drones.

Between chapters, there are a series of case studies that focus on specific national and regional experiences, including in Yemen, Nigeria, Djibouti, the Philippines, Latin America, Europe, and the United States. 
 
WILPF’s new No Killer Drone group meets on Zoom at 4 p.m. EST on the first and 3rd Sundays of the month.  It is a time to discuss what we are reading and watching in the news, discuss this book, and plan actions. If you are interested in being involved, please contact Eileen Kurkoski at eileen4wilpf@gmail.com or 617-928-0958.

In the March 2022 eNews, Part 2 will cover robots and the next generation of military weapons.