Drones and American Smart Power: International Hierarchy and the Policing of Risk
Date
2017-01-12
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
This thesis analyzes the impacts of drones in state-level relations between the Obama administration and Middle Eastern states. Using a Foucauldian approach to security, which asserts that ‘the state’ exists as a set of practices that defines the border and the population of ‘the nation’, drones are examined through the Obama administration’s ‘Smart Power’ approach to foreign policy. In the discourses of many high-ranking officials within the administration, drones exist as a way for the American government to balance the withdrawal of military operations in the region while appearing to reduce the influence and impact of terrorist organizations. Because the United States discourses appear to be the authoritative, and therefore exclusively legitimate, voice on drones, the victims and persons who live under surveillance become excluded from important conversations about their continued use.
Description
Keywords
Drones, American Foreign Policy, International Relations, UAVs, Barack Obama
Citation
Degree
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Department
Political Studies
Program
Political Science