Abstract
This chapter scrutinizes drones’ role in US grand strategy during the Bush administration post-9/11. It dissects the administration's foreign policy stance, drone utilization, and their impact on US grand strategy. It argues that drones’ usage triggered a grand strategy shift, moving from defence realism to offensive liberalism. The chapter evaluates preventive and preemptive drone strikes in states like Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Yemen. It asserts these actions countered Bush's strategy, resulting in unintended casualties, increased anti-Americanism, insurgent retaliation, and extremist recruitment. Despite limited proliferation, armed drones’ deployment under Bush set the stage for their broader adoption, showcasing their counterterrorism effectiveness.
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Okpaleke, F.N. (2023). Drone Warfare and US Grand Strategy During the Bush Administration. In: Drones and US Grand Strategy in the Contemporary World. New Security Challenges. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-47730-0_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-47730-0_4
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