The Drone Age

In The Drone Age, Michael J. Boyle addresses some of the biggest questions surrounding the impact of drones on our world today and the risks that we might face tomorrow. Will drones produce a safer world because they reduce risk to pilots, or will the prospect of clean, remote warfare lead governments to engage in more conflicts? Will drones begin to replace humans on the battlefield? Will they empower soldiers and peacekeepers to act more precisely andhumanely in crisis zones? How will terrorist organizations turn this technology back on the governments that fight them? And how are drones enhancing surveillance capabilities, both at war and at home?As advanced drones come into the hands of new actors-foreign governments, local law enforcement, terrorist organizations, humanitarian organizations, and even UN peacekeepers-it is even more important to understand what kind of world they might produce. The Drone Age explores how the unique features of drone technology are altering the decision-making processes of governments and non-state actors alike by transforming their risk calculations and expanding theircapacities both on and off the battlefield. By changing what these actors are willing and ready to do, drones are quietly transforming the dynamics of wars, humanitarian crises, and peacekeeping missions whilegenerating new risks to security and privacy. An essential guide to a potentially disruptive force in modern world politics, The Drone Age shows how the innovative use of drone technology will become central to the ways that governments and non-state actors compete for power and influence in the future.

“"Michael Boyle's excellent book explains how unmanned aerial vehicles change strategic choices about risk and opportunity. The balance of war and peace alters in a drone-filled world, he argues. In clear, accessible prose, Boyle invites you to think more broadly and deeply about where the digital age is taking us." -- Audrey Kurth Cronin, Professor of International Security and the Founding Director of the Center for Security, Innovation, and New Technology, American University, and author of Power to the People: How Open Technological Innovation is Arming Tomorrow's Terrorists "In this finely crafted survey of the various uses of autonomous aircraft in war and peace, Michael Boyle identifies the logic embedded in drone technology. By altering estimates of cost and risk when it comes to both military and surveillance activity, drones embolden and enable users to reach for increasingly ambitious objectives. The Drone Age explains why the military, social and political effects of drones are actually outpacing advances in drone technology." -- James J. Wirtz, Naval Postgraduate School, USA "Today's terrorism and counterterrorism landscape cannot be understood without reference to drones. For governments, drones have already become a counterterrorism cornerstone. And increasingly, terrorist actors are acquiring drones to advance their capabilities around the world. For better or worse, we are indeed living in 'the drone age.' Michael Boyle's book is the most accessible and comprehensive on this timely topic." -- Max Abrahms, Professor of Political Science, Northeastern University, and author of Rules for Rebels: The Science of Victory in Militant History "In this important and timely new book, Michael Boyle offers a careful and in-depth study, convincingly showing that drones alter risk calculations, thereby reducing regional and international stability and increasing the likelihood of conflict. The book gives readers unparalleled new insights into this crucial new tool of modern warfare." -- Sarah Kreps, Professor of Government and Adjunct Professor of Law, Cornell University, and author of Drones: What Everyone Needs to Know”

"A concise and comprehensive overview of the world the drone made." -- New Scientist (Books of the Year)"A seminal work of impressively thoughtful and thought-provoking scholarship, "The Drone Age: How Drone Technology Will Change War and Peace" is an extraordinary, timely, and unreservedly recommended addition to both community and college/university library drone technology collections and supplemental curriculum studies. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, governmental policy makers, and non-specialist generalreaders with an interest in the subject." -- Michael Dunford, Midwest Book Review"A must read...The book is just as valuable on surveillance, the rise of information warfare and the way that the best intentions can turn the world we knew on its head. But, ultimately, if you read only one book about drones, this should be it." -- Simon Ing, New Scientist"A highly informative treatment of the current role and future potential of drones." -- Kirkus, Starred Review"What Boyle offers in the place of righteous condemnation is a quiet moral clarity. When writing about armed drones like the Reaper and Predator, he is careful to take note of the horror of continuously fearing death from above. When describing the work of commanding the drones, his sympathies clearly lie with the pilots, a third of whom experience burnout and more than a sixth of whom contend with clinical mental distress." -- Eoin O'Carroll, ChristianScience Monitor"Michael Boyle's excellent book explains how unmanned aerial vehicles change strategic choices about risk and opportunity. The balance of war and peace alters in a drone-filled world, he argues. In clear, accessible prose, Boyle invites you to think more broadly and deeply about where the digital age is taking us." -- Audrey Kurth Cronin, Professor of International Security and the Founding Director of the Center for Security, Innovation, and New Technology,American University, and author of Power to the People: How Open Technological Innovation is Arming Tomorrow's Terrorists"In this finely crafted survey of the various uses of autonomous aircraft in war and peace, Michael Boyle identifies the logic embedded in drone technology. By altering estimates of cost and risk when it comes to both military and surveillance activity, drones embolden and enable users to reach for increasingly ambitious objectives. The Drone Age explains why the military, social and political effects of drones are actually outpacing advances in dronetechnology." -- James J. Wirtz, Naval Postgraduate School, USA"Today's terrorism and counterterrorism landscape cannot be understood without reference to drones. For governments, drones have already become a counterterrorism cornerstone. And increasingly, terrorist actors are acquiring drones to advance their capabilities around the world. For better or worse, we are indeed living in 'the drone age.' Michael Boyle's book is the most accessible and comprehensive on this timely topic." -- Max Abrahms, Professor of PoliticalScience, Northeastern University, and author of Rules for Rebels: The Science of Victory in Militant History"In this important and timely new book, Michael Boyle offers a careful and in-depth study, convincingly showing that drones alter risk calculations, thereby reducing regional and international stability and increasing the likelihood of conflict. The book gives readers unparalleled new insights into this crucial new tool of modern warfare." -- Sarah Kreps, Professor of Government and Adjunct Professor of Law, Cornell University, and author of Drones: WhatEveryone Needs to Know

Michael J. Boyle is an Associate Professor and Chair of Political Science at La Salle University. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) in Philadelphia. His previous books include Violence after War: Explaining Instability in Post-Conflict States, Legal and Ethical Implications of Drone Warfare, and Non-Western Responses to Terrorism.

Over the last decade, the rapid pace of innovation with drone technology has led to dozens of new and innovative commercial and scientific applications, from Amazon drone deliveries to the patrolling of national parks with drones. But what is less understood is how the spread of unmanned technology will change the patterns of war and peace in the future. Will the use of drones produce a more stable world or will it lead to more conflict? Will drones gradually replacehumans on the battlefield or will they empower soldiers to act more precisely, and humanely, in crisis situations? How will drones change surveillance around the world and at home? In The Drone Age, Michael J. Boyle examines how unmanned technology alters the decision-making and risk calculus of its users both on and off the battlefield. It shows that the introduction of drones changes the dynamics of wars, humanitarian crises and peacekeeping missions, empowering some actors while making others more vulnerable to surveillance and even attack. The spread of drones is also reordering geopolitical fault lines and providing new ways for states to test the nervesand strategic commitments of their rivals. Drones are also allowing terrorist groups like the Islamic State to take to the skies and to level the playing field against their enemies. Across the world, the low financial cost of drones and the reduced risks faced by pilots is making drone technology an essentialtool for militaries, peacekeeping forces and even private companies. From large surveillance drones to insect-like micro-drones, unmanned technology is revolutionizing the way that states and non-state actors compete with each other and is providing game-changing benefits to those who can most rapidly adapt unmanned technology to their own purposes. An essential guide to a potentially disruptive force in modern world politics, The Drone Age shows how the mastery of drone technology will become central to the ways that governments and non-state actors seek power and influence in the coming decades.

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