Forbidden weapons were deemed acceptable in colonial wars but not between equals

Evidence

The current use of drones, in its own way, falls into place in the continuous line of such “asymmetrical wars” involving machine guns marshaled against spears or rusty old guns, in “little wars” that are already no longer heroic or even really “wars” in the same sense that a Westerner who saw himself as a Greek warrior would give to that word. If there was any repugnance felt at the use of ignoble means, it was present only in situations where the conflict was between equals, rather than simply a matter of putting down inferiors. — Grégoire Chamayou, A Theory of the Drone, 339 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

  • XREF: connects to: Killed colonial doctors became war criminals by excluding themselves from medical protection; Colonial powers impose a double moral standard demanding restraint only from the colonized; Moral limits on weapons apply only where adversaries are equals — Grégoire Chamayou, A Theory of the Drone, 339 (+2 more)

Broader Connections