From U-2s to drones: U.S. Aerial espionage and targeted killing during the cold war and the war on terror

Since September 11, 2001, the United States has been relying heavily on drone strikes for counterterrorism. This policy remains controversial. I argue that assertive statecraft is needed to prevent drone strikes from undermining U.S. foreign and security policy over the long term. The article argues legally, comparatively, and historically, using President’s Eisenhower restrictions on U.S. aerial espionage programs during the earlier Cold War, as a benchmark for President Obama’s policy on missions by armed drones. A more limited drone program offers a better balance between what is necessary for security and what is politically sustainable.