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Predator Empire: Drone Warfare and Full Spectrum Dominance
What does it mean for human beings to exist in an era of dronified state violence? How can we understand the rise of robotic systems of power and domination? Focusing on U.S. drone warfare and its broader implications as no other book has to date, Predator Empire argues that we are witnessing a transition from a labor-intensive “American empire” to a machine-intensive “Predator Empire.”
Moving from the Vietnam War to the War on Terror and beyond, Ian G. R. Shaw reveals how changes in military strategy, domestic policing, and state surveillance have come together to enclose our planet in a robotic system of control. The rise of drones presents a series of “existential crises,” he suggests, that are reengineering not only spaces of violence but also the character of the modern state. Positioning drone warfare as part of a much longer project to watch and enclose the human species, he shows that for decades—centuries even—human existence has slowly but surely been brought within the artificial worlds of “technological civilization.” Instead of incarcerating us in prisons or colonizing territory directly, the Predator Empire locks us inside a worldwide system of electromagnetic enclosure—in which democratic ideals give way to a system of totalitarian control, a machinic “rule by Nobody.”
As accessibly written as it is theoretically ambitious, Predator Empire provides up-to-date information about U.S. drone warfare, as well as an in-depth history of the rise of drones.
Moving from the Vietnam War to the War on Terror and beyond, Ian G. R. Shaw reveals how changes in military strategy, domestic policing, and state surveillance have come together to enclose our planet in a robotic system of control. The rise of drones presents a series of “existential crises,” he suggests, that are reengineering not only spaces of violence but also the character of the modern state. Positioning drone warfare as part of a much longer project to watch and enclose the human species, he shows that for decades—centuries even—human existence has slowly but surely been brought within the artificial worlds of “technological civilization.” Instead of incarcerating us in prisons or colonizing territory directly, the Predator Empire locks us inside a worldwide system of electromagnetic enclosure—in which democratic ideals give way to a system of totalitarian control, a machinic “rule by Nobody.”
As accessibly written as it is theoretically ambitious, Predator Empire provides up-to-date information about U.S. drone warfare, as well as an in-depth history of the rise of drones.
- GenresWar
320 pages, Hardcover
Published August 15, 2016
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November 18, 2017
I read this book because it was a set text for one of my Geography courses - because the course was taught by the author! I actually read most of the book recently while on holiday in America (I can admit that now the course is over, right?) and I found that made it even more interesting, because this book deals primarily with the USA, drone warfare and the empire-like nature of the USA's military influence. It also explores from a philosophical standpoint the implications of modern technologies for humanity and society. Despite containing a huge amount of information and a lot of theory, I found it is written in quite an accessible way (which I think is how academics should write if they want their work to be read), though of course I was already familiar with the content. This is the kind of book that makes you sit up and take a look at the world around you in a different way. It is thought-provoking and also makes you want to take some sort of action. It leaves you reflecting: "The question is not simply whether we are masters or slaves of the coming drone army, but whether drones create a better world for us to inhabit." (pg 262-3) I think it is important that more people understand the extent of the 'Predator Empire' and critically reflect on our society.
(Oh and it's only got 4 stars just because it is a tiny bit too pessimistic... you could argue that's just because it's realistic, but I like to try to retain a bit of optimism!)
(Oh and it's only got 4 stars just because it is a tiny bit too pessimistic... you could argue that's just because it's realistic, but I like to try to retain a bit of optimism!)
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