Game of Drones: An Investigation into American Public Opinion on the Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to Combat Terrorism
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- The United States first employed unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, as a means to combat terrorism in 2001. Their use proliferated steadily in the succeeding decade and dramatically increased under the Obama administration. This surge in use has been met with an increased level of attention from academia. There remains, however, a gap in the understanding of American public opinion on the application of this technology in warfare. This thesis contributes to this body of scholarly knowledge by studying public attitudes on collateral damage and proportionality as they relate to the use of drones to combat terrorism. It substantiates previous findings indicating that Americans are more likely to express favorable opinions of the use of drones to eliminate terrorists when the victims of collateral damage are members of particularly ostracized out-groups, such as Muslims. However, in contrast to previous literature that demonstrates Americans’ unique valuing of their fellow citizens, this thesis finds that Americans express more favorable opinions of the use of drones when the victims of collateral damage are compatriots compared to when the victims are European civilians, with many indicating they believe it is ‘unjust’ to sacrifice European civilians to save their fellow citizens. Further, this thesis finds that many Americans exhibit an expansive versus narrow definition of proportionality, not only taking into consideration the collateral damage presented within a given scenario but also the collateral damage that may come as a result of their decision to support or not support the use of a drone strike.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Date created | May 2018 |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Inman, Mackenzie |
|---|---|
| Primary advisor | Sagan, Scott D. |
| Degree granting institution | Stanford University, Center for International Security and Cooperation |
Subjects
| Subject | Center for International Security and Cooperation |
|---|---|
| Subject | Terrorism |
| Subject | Drones |
| Subject | Unmanned aerial vehicles |
| Subject | Public opinion |
| Subject | Collateral damage |
| Subject | Proportionality |
| Genre | Thesis |
Bibliographic information
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- Use and reproduction
- User agrees that, where applicable, content will not be used to identify or to otherwise infringe the privacy or confidentiality rights of individuals. Content distributed via the Stanford Digital Repository may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor.
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
Preferred citation
- Preferred Citation
- Inman, Mackenzie (2018). Game of Drones: An Investigation into American Public Opinion on the Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to Combat Terrorism. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at: https://purl.stanford.edu/nx060jd5171
Collection
Stanford University, Center for International Security and Cooperation, Interschool Honors Program in International Security Studies, Theses
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- Contact
- kenzi.inman@gmail.com
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