Laurie Calhoun's Blog, page 16

War on Terror? War on Truth.

Shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, US President George W. Bush proclaimed that “We are at war,” and we have been at war ever since. The world’s most powerful military was not apt to the task of bringing the perpetrators to justice, as evidenced by the fact that it took nearly a […]

The Failure of Just War Theory: Tom Woods Show Episode 553

In this 30-minute interview, conducted on December 9, 2015, Tom Woods and Laurie Calhoun discuss her book-length critique of the “just war” paradigm, War and Delusion: A Critical Examination (Palgrave Macmillan 2013). The emptiness of the jus ad bellum and jus in bello criteria parroted for centuries by political leaders in rhetorical efforts to engage their groups in […]

Cameroon Has a New Drone Base and 300 US Troops, and I Have Some Questions for Barack Obama

The number of nations in possession of unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) is increasing rapidly. In the beginning, it was only the United States and Israel, but now just about every day fresh inductees into the Drone Age Push-Button Killing Club are being announced. Over this past week, both China and Turkey were reported to be revving […]

“Chew ‘em up and Spit ‘em out”: The Drone Operator Edition

Any sober look at the recent history of veterans in the United States can only lead one to wonder why men and women continue to enlist in the armed forces in the twenty-first century. There was Agent Orange in Vietnam, the effects of which were denied for decades by military administrators, despite an abundance of […]

The Drone Operator Recruitment Crisis and the Status of Women in the US Military

The Pentagon recently announced that all combat positions in the US military will henceforth be open to women. It took quite some time for “the fairer sex” to be granted this arguably dubious achievement. As offensive as some may find this suggestion, it appears that the admission of women into the ranks of military killers […]

Spain Wants in on the Drone Killing Game: Has Franco Been Forgotten?

It was recently reported that the government of Spain will be acquiring four MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) along with one ground control station (GCS) from the US firm General Atomics Aeronautical Systems. The US company won out over the competitor, Israel Aerospace Industries, which was ready to furnish its Hero TP to the Spanish government […]

The Bipartisan Mainstreaming of Drone Warfare: Tom Woods Show Episode 538

Interview by Tom Woods of Laurie Calhoun about We Kill Because We Can (conducted on November 10, 2015)   Complete Interview Transcript (courtesy of The Tom Woods Show): WOODS: Quite a provocative and in-your-face title. I love in-your-face titles. Just get to the point. We Kill Because We Can is the main title, and the […]

A Letter from Four Former Drone Operators with Echoes from the Stimson Center Report

  Former drone sensor operator Brandon Bryant has given interviews all over the world about his involvement in the US government’s drone program or “killing machine”, as it has been aptly labeled by some. He has not always met with sympathy from interviewers and commentators. I was especially struck by the antagonistic stance of one BBC […]

Hegemonic Spread and Lethal Creep: The Case of Japan

Earlier this year, the people of Japan took to the streets to oppose Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s proposal to reintroduce the possibility of military engagement abroad. After the horrors of World War II, memories of the victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 were etched unforgettably on the psyches of the Japanese […]

Fadi Malkosh of Network Radio and Laurie Calhoun Talk Lethal Drones

In this feature-length interview, conducted by Fadi Malkosh at the Network Radio studio in Laguna Beach, California, the use of lethal drones is examined in terms of morality, legality, politics, cultural effects, and strategic efficacy (1hr 43min).   On YouTube: