This is from the UK, a great summary and list of resources and actions to take.
A 28 page download or read online.
INTRODUCTION:
Over the past fifteen years unmanned aerial vehicles commonly known as drones have risen from a fringe technology to becoming a key component of Western military power, with US, British and Israeli forces launching thousands of drone strikes across Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Drones have become one of the most used weapons in conventional wars, but are also being used far from any battlefield in so-called targeted killings to ‘take out’ those deemed to be a threat to security.
While military officials describe drones as ' the most precise and effective application of firepower in the history of armed conflict’, human rights organisations and journalists have documented that hundreds of innocent civilians have been killed in such strikes.
But armed drones are more than just a new weapon system, the latest in a long line of technological solutions to international security problems. Drones are at the forefront of the rehabilitation of the idea of war itself. Through using remote systems and precision weapons, we are being told, war is no longer the hell it once was. Such a narrative is extremely naïve and dangerous. Not only does it obscure the casualties and destruction caused by drone strikes, but it also means that when there is a political crisis the press and politicians demand we ‘send in the drones’ as there is no perceived cost in doing so.
The concept of remote ‘risk-free war’ through the use of armed drones means that military intervention is rapidly becoming one of the first options instead of the last. Besides the direct consequences, this also enables political leaders to sidestep addressing the underlying political and social causes of conflicts which in turn lessens the chances of achieving long-term just and sustainable solutions.
This briefing highlights some of the key issues surrounding the growing use of armed drones, including: civilian casualties, the expansion of targeted killing and how drones lower the threshold for use of armed force.
As one of only a handful of countries currently using armed drones, the UK has both the responsibility and the opportunity to take a lead internationally on controlling their use, both in terms of setting high levels of transparency and accountability, but also putting in place strong controls internationally to prevent the proliferation of such systems. Armed drones and the growing acceptability of ‘risk free warfare’ is a real danger to global peace and security.
At this crucial time, it is vital that all who want the world to be a more just and secure place work together to ensure that we don’t allow armed drones to be out of sight, out of mind and out of control.
