Conceptualizing global order in an era of remote warfare

Abstract

The literature on drone warfare has evolved from understanding the proliferation of drones to measuring their effectiveness to studying their normative impacts. The extant scholarship largely fails to address the implications of drone warfare for global order, which is the pattern of relations among states that helps achieve basic social goals such as security, stability, and prosperity. This chapter helps fill this gap by contributing to a new wave of literature. We adopt the “English School” of International Relations Theory to argue that drone warfare imposes contradictions on the structural and normative pillars of global order. These consist of the hierarchical structure of international society and diffusion of military capabilities, as well as the sovereign equality of states and laws of war. We present a typology of contradictions imposed by drone warfare within and across these axes that threaten the legitimacy of global order. We conclude by outlining the broad structure of the book and offering an overview of the various chapters that explore the complex—and sometimes surprising—impacts of drone warfare on global order.