Abstracts Political Science

Targeted Killing in the "War on Terror": The History and Legality of US Practice

by Samuel Dorion Wyer

Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks the United States has adopted and expanded a controversial program of targeted killing in order to counteract the threat of transnational terrorism. The unprecedented increase in the use of unmanned aerial drones and special operation forces to target and kill specific individuals under the Obama administration has led to the deaths of many high-profile terrorist leaders such as Anwar al-Awlaki and Osama bin Laden. Yet this program has raised essential questions about the conduct and control of armed conflict in the modern age. Targeted killing sits at the forefront of the legal and political debates over the laws of armed conflict and may point to a possible shift in the current legal frameworks that have regulated the use of force for the last century. This presentation addresses the definition of targeted killing, its historical use and evolution, the fundamental legal challenges it faces, and the political implications of its expanding use on the future of asymmetric warfare.