The intense debate over US targeted drone strikes outside war zones has been limited by the failure to review and assess a considerable body of quantitative research and qualitative material on the impacts of such strikes on terrorist groups and civilians. This book fills an important gap in the literature by conducting a careful and rigorous review of such evidence. It argues that decisions about the use of targeted strikes as a counterterrorism instrument, as well as legal and ethical evaluations of such use, must be informed by our best understanding of the insights that empirical evidence can provide on the effectiveness of strikes and the costs they impose on populations where they occur.

The intense debate over US targeted drone strikes outside war zones has been limited by the failure to review and assess a considerable body of quantitative research and qualitative material on the impacts of such strikes on terrorist groups and civilians. This book fills an important gap in the literature by conducting a careful and rigorous review of such evidence. It argues that decisions about the use of targeted strikes as a counterterrorism instrument, as well as legal and ethical evaluations of such use, must be informed by our best understanding of the insights that empirical evidence can provide on the effectiveness of strikes and the costs they impose on populations where they occur.

International and Transnational Criminal Law, Fourth Edition, by David J. Luban, Julie R. O’Sullivan, David P. Stewart, and Neha Jain covers both international criminal law and the application of U.S. criminal law transnationally. This comprehensive and versatile book has chapters on each of the core crimes (aggression, genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes) as well as terrorism and torture. It has separate chapters on the international tribunals from Nuremberg on and the ICC. Other chapters treat modes of liability, defenses, crimes against women, and alternatives to criminal prosecution in post-conflict societies. It also covers U.S. criminal law in transnational contexts, including money laundering, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, trafficking, and terrorism. In addition, it includes chapters on extradition, evidence gathering abroad, comparative criminal procedure and comparative sentencing, and U.S. constitutional rights abroad. Introductory chapters on the nature of international criminal law, transnational jurisdiction, and the basics of public international law make the book accessible to students (as well as government lawyers and private practitioners) with no prior background in this increasingly important field. New to the Fourth Edition: Recent developments in the international tribunals, including the Special Court for the Central African Republic and Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace. Updates on post-Morrison jurisdictional developments, including new cases and exposition. Expanded treatment of aggression, including coverage of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Comprehensive revision of the chapter on obtaining evidence abroad, with greater emphasis on difficulties facing defense counsel. Updates on ICC jurisprudence, including developments on command responsibility and criminal defenses. Updated genocide chapter, including a new section on cultural genocide and discussion of the Ukraine v. Russia ICJ litigation. Professors and students will benefit from: Versatility: The book can be used for courses on international criminal law and also for courses on U.S. criminal law applied across borders. Self-contained introductory chapters on basic public international law, transnational jurisdiction, and the nature of criminal law. A detailed treatment of “headline” issues including torture, terrorism, war crimes, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Readable background on historical context.

NATIONAL SECURITY LAW AND COUNTERTERRORISM LAW 2022-2023 SUPPLEMENT

In 2010, 60 states had a military drone program. Today at least 113 countries and 65 non-state actors now have access to weaponized drone technologies. Alongside this, established ‘drone powers’ – the U.S., China, Turkey, and Iran – have expanded their own use of military drones, increasing the sale and deployment of drones around the world. In the De Gruyter Handbook of Drone Warfare, drone expert, policy adviser, and historian, Dr James Patton Rogers, brings together 37 of the world’s leading voices on the growing issues of commercial and military drone technologies. From the origins of military drones in the early 1900s and the resurgence of drone use during the War on Terror, through to the global proliferation of drones across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, this handbook explores the moral, ethical, technological, legal, military, geopolitical, social, and strategic issues at the heart of drone warfare. The first handbook of its kind, the volume also addresses Russia’s offensive war against Ukraine, the rise of Iranian and Houthi drones, and provides a focused analysis of the future of drone warfare and the opportunities and perils of AI, autonomy, and swarming technologies in the coming Third Drone Age.

National Security Law and Counterterrorism Law, 2023-2024 Supplement

The book examines principal arguments for and against the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for surveillance and 'targeted killing.' Addressing both sides of the argument with clear and cogent details, the book provides a thorough introduction to ongoing debate about the future of warfare and its ethical implications.

The book explores the main moral, ethical and operational dilemmas of targeted killings from an Israeli perspective. Even though many countries contending with terrorism have adopted this tool (either overtly or covertly) within the arsenal used in implementing their counter-terrorism policies, it seems that Israel, as one of the world's leading practitioner of targeted killing in its counter-terrorism effort, constitutes the most appropriate case study for reviewing implications and dilemmas associated with this practice. Each chapter will present a different ethical–moral–operational dilemma emanating from a deployment of a targeted killing. The analysis of Israeli considerations and solutions to these dilemmas is built around interviews with Israeli decision-makers, former senior security officials and other experts. The chapters also cover public opinion polls in order to highlight the views of the Israeli public vis-a-vis each dilemma. Finally, chapters will conclude with lessons learned and offer recommendations for a practical and moral solution. The final chapter then draws together universal conclusions and recommendations for the use of targeted killings.

"The threat posed by the recent rise of transnational non-state armed groups does not fit easily within either of the two basic paradigms for state responses to violence. The crime paradigm focuses on the interception of demonstrable immediate threats to the safety of others. Its aim is to protect specific persons and members of the general public from violence by identifiable individuals, who may be acting alone or in concert. In pursuit of this aim, the state uses police operations and the criminal justice system. Both of these tools are governed by human rights principles that significantly constrain state power. A state may not restrict liberty unless it has demonstrable evidence that an individual may pose a danger to others. It may not use force if other means will be effective to stop a threat. If using force is unavoidable, it must be the minimum amount necessary. Furthermore, a state generally may not take life unless no other measure will intercept an immediate threat to life"--

Examines the recent rise in the United States' use of preventive force More so than in the past, the US is now embracing the logic of preventive force: using military force to counter potential threats around the globe before they have fully materialized. While popular with individuals who seek to avoid too many “boots on the ground,” preventive force is controversial because of its potential for unnecessary collateral damage. Who decides what threats are ‘imminent’? Is there an international legal basis to kill or harm individuals who have a connection to that threat? Do the benefits of preventive force justify the costs? And, perhaps most importantly, is the US setting a dangerous international precedent? In Preventive Force, editors Kerstin Fisk and Jennifer Ramos bring together legal scholars, political scientists, international relations scholars, and prominent defense specialists to examine these questions, whether in the context of full-scale preventive war or preventive drone strikes. In particular, the volume highlights preventive drones strikes, as they mark a complete transformation of how the US understands international norms regarding the use of force, and could potentially lead to a ‘slippery slope’ for the US and other nations in terms of engaging in preventive warfare as a matter of course. A comprehensive resource that speaks to the contours of preventive force as a security strategy as well as to the practical, legal, and ethical considerations of its implementation, Preventive Force is a useful guide for political scientists, international relations scholars, and policymakers who seek a thorough and current overview of this essential topic.