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Drone war, tech assassinations, and the future of conflict: Theological, legal, and policy developments

From the first fully autonomous deadly targeting in Libya to “kamikaze” drone attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine and “Over the horizon” capability in Afghanistan, the use of lethal drones is expanding with little restraint. The technology and availability of lethal drones continue to quickly expand and are outpacing ethical and policy reflection and restraints.

In the previous webinar the Interfaith Working Group on Drone Warfare focused on the human costs of drone strikes, both in the targeted communities and to the operators. In this discussion we will explore the expansion of drones use due to weapons sales and technology transfers as well as the technological advances in AI and use of lethal force via drones as well as ethical and policy considerations that these raise.

For example, how does the ease of use of deadly force change and challenge theological and ethical frameworks for evaluating justness? And, how must humans stay “in the loop” on moral questions of such gravity? The expansion of availability and lethality highlight the need for more robust and sustained theological ethical analysis of our assumptions of war, violence, and targeting.

Dec 13, 2022 12:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)