Drones, Ethics, and Pakistan

Abstract

The following article provides an ethical appraisal of the use of armed drones within the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan by the Central Intelligence Agency through the prism of Just War theory. This paper argues that the inability of the United States to conduct these strikes in an ethical manner stems from an utter lack of transparency surrounding the program, and by extension the Central intelligence Agency's ability to employ lethal force unilaterally. Furthermore, this paper critiques the standard discourse surrounding the negative impact these drone strikes have had on US security interests. This analysis makes several policy recommendations to both the United States and Pakistan to improve ethical outcomes of future drone operations.

About Adam Amil

Adam graduated from the University of Oklahoma in Fall 2016 where he received a Bachelor of Arts in International Security Studies with a minor in Middle Eastern Studies. While attending the University of Oklahoma, Adam was a recipient of the US State Department's Critical Language Scholarship and participated in an 8-week long intensive Urdu language program in Lucknow, India over the summer of 2016. Since graduating, Adam IS enrolled in the Middlebury Institute of International Studies where he is pursuing a Master of Arts in nonproliferation and terrorism studies. Adam hopes to work as a Foreign Service Officer in the future and in his spare time enjoys snow skiing, boxing, and rooting for the Oklahoma City Thunder.