Semester
Fall
Date of Graduation
2021
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MA
College
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Department
History
Committee Chair
Robert Blobaum
Committee Member
Kerry Longhurst
Committee Member
James F. Siekmeier
Abstract
In this thesis, I demonstrate how the question of ethics in aerial bombardment has been evolving and transforming since its inception at the beginning of the twentieth century to contemporary targeted killings/assassinations by drones. I interact with early airpower theories from Douhet, Trenchard, Mitchell, and contemporary air tactics in order to establish a crucial sequence between these early theories and practices of aerial violence and modern ones conducted by armed drones. I show how the evolution of aerial bombardment challenged, influenced, and transformed essentials of conventional warfare, as well as dispersed boundaries between combatants and non-combatants. Contemporary legally uncontrolled targeted killings by drones now are one of the most discussed issues in military ethics, international law, and international security spheres. Hence, the interdisciplinary approach in this work helps to provide a multi-vector view on the question of the ethics of aerial bombardment.
Recommended Citation
Zhaksybergen, Rauan, "The Ethics of Aerial Bombardment in International Conflicts: From Douhet to Drones" (2021). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 10214.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/10214
Included in
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