Political Use of Force in the Drone Age

Abstract

The addition of low-cost weaponized drone technology into the war chests of U.S. presidents in conjunction with the ever-present War on Terror provide an ideal set of conditions to shore up limitations that underlie political use of force studies. Using data on CIA drone strikes from 2002-2017, we show that domestic conditions incentivize drone strikes. To demonstrate diversionary intent, we use original data to investigate whether the same incentives motivate whether administrations break covert protocol and claim credit for these clandestine attacks. Collectively, we show that U.S. presidents have used weaponized drone technology to divert attention from sagging domestic conditions.

Keywords: Foreign Policy, Domestic Politics, Presidency, Terrorism, Drones, Executive Power, Political Use of Force