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đŸȘ” The Threshold

Most drone strikes target suspects whose identity is unknown at the moment of killing.

Properties2
tagsja-picks, define, question, contrarian_or_surprising, trade, singleton, xref, category/contrarian-or-surprising
aliases@chamayou_theory_2013, loc. 211

2 min read

Most drone strikes target suspects whose identity is unknown at the moment of killing.

Evidence

Apart from these “personal strikes,” there are also “signature strikes,” here meaning strikes authorized on the basis of traces, indications, or defining characteristics. Such strikes target individuals whose identity remains unknown but whose behavior suggests, signals, or signs membership in a “terrorist organization.” 
 In such cases, the strike is made “without knowing the precise identity of the individuals targeted.” It depends solely on their behavior, which, seen from the sky, appears to “correspond to a ‘signature’ of pre-identified behavior that the United States links to militant activity.” Today, strikes of this type, against unknown suspects, appear to constitute the majority of cases. — Grégoire Chamayou, A Theory of the Drone, 211

Categorization

  • DEFINE: Defines the key distinction between ‘personal strikes’ and ‘signature strikes’ introduced in this chapter.
  • QUESTION: Worth chasing: the claim that ‘signature strikes constitute the majority of cases’ — where this is documented and how statistics were derived is a thread to pull.
  • XREF: connects to: Signature strikes kill people whose identities are unknown, based only on behavioral patterns; Drones are less precise than rifles and grenades at discriminating targets.; Drone strikes depend on a network of remote invisible human observers (+6 more)

Broader Connections

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