Wounding local hearts? Evidence from an empirical study of UAV attacks by state and non-state actors harming civilian populations

Haugstvedt, Håvard

doi:10.1080/17467586.2021.1983853

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

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“…However, research on non-state actors shows that they do not select targets randomly and tend to focus on hard targets, such as armed forces or security forces, rather than soft targets where unprepared civilians are present. They also do not cause mass casualties or mass injuries [10], and in a comparison with US UAV attacks, non-state actors' UAV attacks were found to be less lethal than US UAV attacks, but they caused slightly greater injuries to civilians [12]. This finding should however be revised following investigative journalism by the New York Times, which uncovered thousands of civilian deaths from US drone strikes compared to what was formerly known [45].…”

Section: How Armed Uavs Are Used By Non-state Actorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Past research has focused, among other things, on the technological development of UAVs by violent non-state actors [8,9], tactical use and human harm [10][11][12], UAVs as a means to communicate and present violent non-state actors as sovereign legitimate actors [13], and on the proliferation of UAVs [14]. However, none of these covered or aimed to cover, more broadly, the field of violent non-state actors and armed UAVs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Flying Reign of Terror? The Who, Where, When, What, and How of Non-state Actors and Armed Drones

Haugstvedt

2023

Journal of Human Security

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Over the last five years, violent non-state actors have acquired armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and have been using them extensively. This paper presents the main non-state actors involved and the areas in which they have used this tool, as well as how UAVs are used and procured. To date, armed UAVs have mainly been used by non-state actors in the Middle East and Central Asia. They have also been used in the conflict zones of Ukraine, Myanmar, Mexico, and Ecuador. While this is worrisome, limited evidence suggests that violent non-state actors use armed UAVs intentionally in areas where mostly civilians are present. The paper details the state of UAV usage by non-state actors and develops a thesis of cyclic adaptation between state and non-state actors. Not only do non-state actors learn from state actors, so does state and state-backed actors learn from non-state actors in conflict zones.This process have been visible on the battlefield in Ukraine, where state-backed actors on both sides have incorporated smaller consumer style UAVs into their repertoire. As the use of armed UAVs developed substantially following Hezbollah's early UAV operations in 2004 and spread to many regions of the world, the adaptation of non-state cleverness and ingenuity can be harnessed by state actors in times of poor or limited access to weaponry and support systems.

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Section: How Armed Uavs Are Used By Non-state Actorsmentioning

confidence: 99%