Reason the Limits of Drone Use Are Murky: We Can't Decide What 'Terrorists' or 'Conflict' Mean

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http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/08/the-real-reason-the-limits-of-drone-use-are-murky-we-cant-decide-what-terrorists-or-conflict-mean/278739/



It's hard to answer the question of whether we should limit the use of drones to active, armed conflicts without invoking Humpty Dumpty. In Lewis Carroll'sThrough The Looking Glass, Alice challenges Humpty Dumpty's definition of the word "glory." The ensuing exchange has long been beloved by both linguists and lawyers:

"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less."
"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."

"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master -- that's all."

Humpty Dumpty knew that arguments about the meaning of words have as much to do with power as with dictionaries, and so it is with drone strikes. Would limiting their use to "active, armed conflicts and for known terrorists" make drone strikes "Acceptable"? Well... it depends what you mean by "active, armed conflicts," what you mean by "known," what you mean by "terrorists," and what you mean by "acceptable."

Here's the basic problem. Under international law and U.S. law, there are different rules for armed conflicts than for ordinary, peacetime situations. To put it starkly, in peacetime, you can't just go around killing people. Try it! (No, don't try it, not really). Just consider the likely outcome if you wander outside and bash a passerby over the head with a brick. You know what will happen, right? You'll be arrested and charged with murder. You could try saying to the arresting officer, "But officer, the guy I killed was my enemy," but odds are this will just add a mental health evaluation to your woes.