Counting the Dead: The Proportionality of Predation in Pakistan

Reflections on War Ethics in the Employment of UAVs

“…It is an empirical question, namely, it can be verified by the data. Plaw (2013) has calculated UAV attacks carried out by the United States in Pakistan from 2004 to 2007 and concluded that compared to other operations in comparable condition, UAV is able to decrease civilian causality ratio, or at least, not to increase the ratio. The study purportedly provides a powerful empirical evidence to back up the view that UAV is not only ethically permissible but also "ethically obligatory for military use" (Yoram, 2004).…”

Dronedrab og etik – i princippet og i praksis

“…Avery Plaw har i lighed med Strawser haevdet, at andelen af civile dødsfald som følge af droneangreb er vaesentligt lavere end andelen af civile ofre for angreb fra "regeringsfjendtlige elementer" (Antigovernment Elements eller AGE) i Afghanistan (Plaw 2013). Men igen er det forhåbentlig ikke en relevant sammenligning, eftersom terrororganisationer per definition forfølger deres mål ved at angribe civile.…”

The transformation of targeted killing and international order

“…Closely related to this debate about discrimination is the debate about the proportionality of targeted killings. Participants to this debate have supported (Etzioni, 2013 ; McNeal, 2012 ; Plaw, 2013 ) or challenged (Braun & Brunstetter, 2013 ; Crawford, 2013 ; O’Connell, 2010 ) the view that (the use of drones in) targeted killing minimizes civilian casualties in conflicts. Finally, scholars have also debated whether the (assumed) in bello proportionality of drones affects the propensity of states to use force, that is, whether drones lower the threshold for the use of force (Anderson, 2012 ; Brunstetter & Braun, 2011 ; Kreps & Kaag, 2012 ; Ohlin, forthcoming ; Strawser, 2014 ).…”