The politics and ethics of threat from the air

The proposed New Human Right to Protect the Freedom to Live Without Physical or Psychological Threat from Above is rooted in extensive and persuasive research on the harmful impacts of drone strikes in different parts of the world. While the proposal is inherently optimistic and positive, this paper considers four factors which, collectively, suggest that its implementation in the short-to-medium term is unlikely: the current international political climate; the political and tactical benefits of military drone use; an historical perspective showing psychological effects on civilians to be an intended aspect of air power since its inception; and an example of the desirability of psychological impact from military drone use.