The Obscure Morals of Drone Warfare
The introduction of modern technology and large-scale warfare gave rise to when was this happening? Last 10 years…continuous questions aimed at new forms of war. Chemical weapons, human experiments, torture and other forms of such force had been deemed morally inexcusable by international standards; however, the use of drones is a brand new issue the world has yet to tackle. Increasing exposures of high civilian casualty rates resulted from long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have lead to questions regarding the legitimacy of such measures. The concern that has risen over this issue is not unreasonable. Removing human pilots from aircrafts and opting instead to operate remotely with UAV technology, more commonly known as drones, desensitize army leaders, policy makers, as well as pilots from the reality of human lives lost, and potentially undermines responsible decision making by removing the duty placed on decision-makers to care for pilots’ physical and psychological well-being. The employment of drones also infringes upon the autonomy of the civilians it monitors 24-7, removes the sense of honor and justice inherent in traditional warfare, and creates confusion over the realities of the battlefield. UAV warfare also effectively reduces local human lives into dull dots of data on a digital map, thereby degrading them into something less than human. The moral concerns surrounding drones cannot, however, override the strategic needs for the technology as an alternative to costly and intrusive military actions. To resolve the dilemma, more rigorous restrictions must be placed on strikes, reviews on every strike must be conducted, and reliable information on the effects and aftermath of drone attacks must be made available to the public.
The lack of human involvement in drone warfare creates distance between war commanders and the reality of the battlefield, shielding them from the grim loss of war and obliterates...