Ohio Northern University School of Law
Professor of International Law and the Law of War at Ohio Northern University School of Law, and co-author of The War on Terror and the Laws of War: A Military Perspective; former Navy fighter pilot
PROFILE
Michael W. Lewis
Guest
FROM Michael W. Lewis
Which Way, L.A.?
The Pros and Cons of Drones Wars are vastly expensive in blood and treasure. The outcomes are always uncertain, and continued public support is not guaranteed. Witness Iraq and Afghanistan. Faced with the threat of terrorism, the Obama Administration has "decisively embraced the drone… as a cheap, safe and precise tool to eliminate enemies." But the Obama Defense Department isn't the only one adopting unmanned drones for reconnaissance and, ultimately, for targeted killing. Is it legal? Will the US be vulnerable when China, other countries or terrorists develop their own technologies?
To the Point
The Pros and Cons of Drones Wars are vastly expensive in blood and treasure. The outcomes are always uncertain, and continued public support is not guaranteed. Witness Iraq and Afghanistan. Faced with the threat of terrorism, the Obama Administration has "decisively embraced the drone… as a cheap, safe and precise tool to eliminate enemies." But the Obama Defense Department isn’t the only one adopting drones for reconnaissance and, ultimately, for targeted killing. Is it legal? Will the US be vulnerable when China, other countries — or terrorists -- develop their own technologies? Will they make outright war less likely? Are their pilots committing remote-control murder? We hear the pros and cons.
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