Research Proposal on "Targeted Killing and War on Terror"

Research Proposal 3 pages (1110 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Targeted killing and war on terror.

Targeted killing, the ethics and real-politik

The notion of targeted killing is rapidly growing momentum in modern military warfare as it used more and more to decrease the number of civilian casualties. When discussing issues like targeted killing, ethics and real politik, one of the best examples to be taken into consideration is the targeted killing of Osama bin Laden and many of his followers in direct hits, aiming at reducing any loss of further lives. The war on terror has started as the war against the main terrorist organization which was at that time, as still is, the al Qaeda. It seems only fair that in the times where weapons of mass destruction, drones or high tech war machineries, targeted killing of various types of leaders be the best way ahead.

This research proposal aims at identifying the ethical dilemma in which states circle around when in comes to targeted killings, as well as looking at this issue from a real politik perspective. As the subject is vast and in current developing, some of the sources used will be based on recent opinions on the matters, as well as a more attentive analysis on the morality that lies with this type of assassinations. In a global environment, in which officially the rules of conduct are those that the International Justice Court establishes, what are the legal rights of countries to target various leaders and capture or kill them? Also important, the nature of war should be analyzed in such a proposal as it has changed dramatically over the last one hundred years. Even if technological breakthroughs make the various centuries of war and peace look different, these have not changed until the Cold War. As war was fought between tribes, cities or citadels, kingdoms and more recently states, the turn of the century shows a different type of war. One which is fought with different tools that the classical destroy ones like information, resource pressures, states against organizations or individuals or cold / static wars. In this respect, a proposed source on the new nature of war, including targeted killings, is provided in a comprehensive manner by David Lonsdale in his "The nature of war in the information age" (Lonsdale, 2004).

Targeted killing has long been a weapon of states against states in various types of wars, as well as between organizations and cartels. One of the best sources in this respect is Thomas Hunter's "Targeted Killing" which makes a very comprehensive analysis of the entire concept. Hunter defines this type of killing as being different from assassination during wartime; it is a risk from a political perspective with severe international implications; it is both positive and negative from the consequences it has and exposes usually civilians to unintentional harm. To quote Hunter, a targeted killing is "an intentional killing of an individual or individuals known or believed to represent a present and/or future threat to the safety and security of a state" (Hunter, 2009, pag. 2).

As Hunter and many authors argue, this usage of killing technique might be very effective, yet it enters a strong contradiction to the international regulations that require a fair and equitable trial. Yet, on the long-term, this is a double sided blade as eliminating the leadership of a terrorist organization does… READ MORE

How to Reference "Targeted Killing and War on Terror" Research Proposal in a Bibliography

Related Research Proposals:

Targeted Killing Research Paper

Targeted killing has become an essential tool used in the conduct of foreign policy especially in the practice of the Middle East given the substantial number of killings of the… read more

Research Paper 10 pages (3066 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Terrorism / Extremism / Radicalization

---

Impressions of War the Most Vivid Imagine Essay

Impressions of War

The most vivid imagine of war was the beginning of it all. September 11, 2001 changed the United States. It was vividly relived over and over again… read more

Essay 17 pages (6472 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Military / Army / Navy / Marines

---

Narco-Terrorism in Afghanistan Essay

Narco-Terrorism in Afghanistan

Narco-terrorism refers to the role that the narcotics trade plays in promoting and contributing to terrorism. Afghanistan is not only one of the largest sources of international… read more

Essay 3 pages (955 words) Sources: 0 Topic: Terrorism / Extremism / Radicalization

---

Morally There Is No Difference Between Killing Essay

Morally There Is No Difference Between Killing Civilians With Bombs From Military Aircraft and Blowing Them Up With Bombs

Morally, is there a difference between killing civilians with bombs from… read more

Essay 7 pages (2106 words) Sources: 15 Style: Harvard Topic: Terrorism / Extremism / Radicalization

---

Just War? Throughout History Essay

Set 3:

a) Why are conspiracy theories counterproductive?

When tragedy strikes, people look for an explanation and when they are not provided with an explanation which satisfies them, they formulate… read more

Essay 8 pages (2617 words) Sources: 8 Topic: Terrorism / Extremism / Radicalization

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>