The U.S. government has been using unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs), or lethal drones, to dispatch terrorist suspects with impunity for most of the twenty-first century. Committees of analysts and bureaucrats determine, based on HUMINT (human intelligence, or tips from bribed informants) and SIGINT (signals intelligence, or drone video footage and cellphone data), that a […]
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TheU.S.governmenthasbeenusingunmannedcombataerialvehicles(UCAVs),orlethaldrones,todispatchterroristsuspectswithimpunityformostofthetwenty-firstcentury.Committeesofanalystsandbureaucratsdetermine,basedonHUMINT(humanintelligence,ortipsfrombribedinformants)andSIGINT(signalsintelligence,ordronevideofootageandcellphonedata),thatapersoninalandfarawayposesathreattoU.S.interests.Itmattersnotthattherearenosoldiersonthegroundforhimtokill,northatheisunarmed,northatheissurroundedbyobviouslyinnocentfamilymembersandneighbors.ItmattersnotthathemaynotevenpossessapassportandistoopoortomakeittoAmericanshores.Thedecisionismadetoplacethepersononasecret“killlist”(whether
