Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
http://www.flickr.com/photos/james_gordon_los_angeles/6578203563/
Should we worry about war conducted by remote control? Are there ethical considerations? Will we become accustomed to unmanned warfare in the future? What if a hacker took control of an army? It's all here
Why do drones disturb us? It's to do with the distance between killer and killed, the asymmetry. Also, the prospect of automation. "Drones foreshadow the idea that brutality could become detached from humanity"
Armed robots are "transforming the way our democracy deliberates and engages in what we used to think of as war". President and CIA can attack a foreign country without involving Congress or risking lives. Is this good or bad?
Story of the Phantom Ray, Boeing's pilotless attack aircraft which took off for the first time in April 2011. A tale of "secret technology, a brilliant military scientist, scheming businessmen and the unseen hand of military chiefs"
We talk about drones as a step change in war. Risk-free combat. But all new technology in the history of weaponry has been directed towards killing from a greater distance. It's a bit late to start feeling queasy about that
America is leading an arms race in drones. But America didn't start the race, technology did. Besides, drones are pretty easy to make and to weaponise. The real contest, when it comes, will be in making effective counter-drones
Is America's use of drones in Pakistan, Yemen and elsewhere starting an international arms race in unmanned aerial vehicles? Lewis doubts it. Drones are "slow, relatively low-tech anti-terrorism tools". Limited use in modern warfare
In a decade or so the world's armies, terrorists and hobbyists will own thousands if not millions of cheap drones, piloted by algorithms. Scary enough. But what if a bot-net hijacks them? Traditional and cyber warfare converge
Philosopher discusses morality issues surrounding robot warfare. Interesting throughout. "Robots can do many of our jobs better than we can, and maybe even act more ethically, at least in the high-stress environment of war"
Thoughts on the future of warfare. Human role already in decline. Role of drones and robots will only grow. But what happens if we get computers to assess threats and calibrate responses? Could it even be a good thing?
Presumably US has its criteria for who can be killed in overseas drone attacks and why, but no one has said what they are. Is it acting lawfully? What if other states start carrying out such attacks beyond their borders?
US has thousands of drones, unmanned land vehicles, fighting what amounts to robot war in South Asia. High time to develop legal apparatus, military doctrine for controlling their use
Stiff but informative interview with law professor Gary Solis. Are drones legal? Can soldiers fire on an ambulance? Does military necessity justify any action? Is the Geneva convention still of use?
Short commentary on America's "endless war". After Iraq, persuading people there's an existential threat doesn't wash. That leaves insulating the people from war's effects so they don't care. Hence drones, special forces operations
