![handle is hein.journals/sjjicl3 and id is 1 raw text is:
DRONES AND TRANSNATIONAL ARMED
CONFLICTS
Michael W. Lewis
Drones are certainly one of the most discussed features
of the ongoing conflict between the United States and al Qaeda,
and in many ways they are one of the most misunderstood. To
some they represent a step towards a dystopian future in which
Terminator-like machines relentlessly hunt down human
beings.1 Others have criticized drones for causing civilian
casualties,2 for violating the sovereignty of nations not directly
involved in the conflict,3 for increasing the support for al
Qaeda amongst the civilian population,4 and for bringing a
video-game mentality to warfare.5 Drone strikes are viewed
* Professor of Law at Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law. I would
like to thank the members of the St. John's Journal of International and Comparative
Law for creating an excellent Symposium to discuss the legality and policy
considerations underlying the use of armed drones. I would also like to thank the
participants at the symposium for their comments and suggestions concerning this
essay. In discussing the capabilities, limitations and near term uses of drones I draw
upon my experience flying F-14's for the U.S. Navy during the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
1 See Peter Finn, A Future for Drones: Automated Killing, WASHINGTON POST
(Sep. 10, 2011), http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/national-security/a-future-
for-drones-automated-
killing/2011/09/15/glQAVy9mgK-story.html?wpisrc=emailtoafriend; see also David
Luban, What Would Augustine Do? The President, Drones and Just War Theory,
BOSTON REVIEW (June 6, 2012),
http://www.bostonreview.net/BR37.3/david-luban-obamadrones just-wartheory.ph
p.
2 See US Drone Strikes 'Raise Questions' - UN's Navi Pillay, BBC NEWS ASIA
(June 8, 2012), http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18363003.
3 Rise of the Drones II: Examining the Legality of Unmanned Targeting: Hearing
Before the Subcomm. on Nat'1 Sec. and Foreign Affairs of the H. Comm. on Oversight
and Gov'tReform, 111th Cong. (Apr. 28, 2010) (statement of Mary Ellen O'Connell,
Professor, University of Notre Dame)[hereinafter O'Connell testimony]; see also LA
Times Editorial Board, A Closer Look at Drones, LA TIMES (Sep. 25, 2011),
http://articles.latimes.con201 1/sep/25/opinion/la-ed-drones-20110925.
4 See Sudarsan Raghavan, In Yemen, US Airstrikes Breed Anger, and Sympathy
for al Qaeda, WASHINGTON POST (May 29, 2011),
http://www.washingtonpost.coniworld/middle-east/in-yemen-us-airstrikes-breed-
anger-and-sympathy-for-al-qaeda/2012/05/29/gJQAUmKIOU-story.html.
See Philip Alston, Report of the Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary
or Arbitrary Executions, ¶84, UN Doc. HRC/14/24/Add. 6, (May 28, 2010),](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/sjjicl3&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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