Introduction
Security is one of the vital issues that propel states to achieve their short and long term goals. Without a secure investment base, there are few chances of developing nations achieving their millennium goals while the developed nations face critical logistic and political dilemmas. Modernization has become an inevitable issue that has made it possible for higher standards of security to be maintained worldwide (Kagan 2009). The use of drone aircraft by military officers in combats has become a thorny issue in most countries and thus elicited uncontrolled controversies. The ethical appropriateness of using drones in military combats is discussed in this essay.
Main body
Drones are aircraft that operate without a crew. All the control procedures are done from a ground station. The station is connected to the drone through a data network and other operational equipments that support the control system. Drones were first used in 1916. Several developments have taken place to enable nations to acquire modern unmanned aircraft (Nye 2011). The ethical issue behind the reasons for using drones in military conflicts is justified by Emmanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative Theory. This theory evaluates what motivates people to behave the way they do. He referred to imperatives as the hypothesis that necessitates the need for certain actions. He defines a categorical imperative as an unrestricted need that affirms its power in all situations (Kant 2010). Sovereignty and international security are the greatest ethical issues behind the use of drones in military conflicts.
Military forces that use drones in conflicts consider this the safest way of attaining peace in the world while at the same time exercising power over other nations. The world is witnessing critical insecurity issues posed by terrorist groups like Al Qaeda and Al Shabab. Kant’s theory emphasizes on the need to attain an ethical end regardless of the means used to attain satisfaction. Drones are controlled by remotes, and thus there is no possibility of injuries or death. According to Kant, it is evident that wish to attain international peace and exercise authority over other nations leaves nations without any choice but to use drones to achieve their goals. The surveillance systems used in drones enable security personnel to detect possibilities of attacks from enemies (Kant 2010). Lastly, drones are known to rescue military officers held hostage and those stranded in deserts or seas. According to Kant’s theory, the need, in this case, is having international peace and sovereignty. Therefore, it is reasonable to use drones in military conflicts against nations that support terror groups.
However, this practice has been criticized for wasting taxpayers’ money. The choice of using drones in conflicts costs more than they wish to fight terrorism, making use of drones ineffective. Moreover, few nations are able to acquire these aircraft, thus making them have a higher chance of winning conflicts at the expense of the validity of the reasons behind the invasions (Shirk 2008). Instead of developing sophisticated weapons for wars, nations should strive to ensure, there is peace among them rather than developing protective strategies even before the possibility of war is conceived.
Conclusion
There are two ways nations can have peaceful interactions. One of them is diplomacy that ensures negotiations and consultations are given an upper hand in solving conflicts. This does not seem to work and thus justifies the need to develop sophisticated aircraft like drones to invade nations that have links with terror groups.
References
Kagan, R. (2009). The Return of History and the End of Dreams. Vintage Press, New York.
Kant, E. (2010). Kant: Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. Cengage Learning, New York.
Nye, J. (2011). The Future of Power. Public Affairs Publishers, New York.
Shirk, S. (2008). Fragile Super Power. Oxford University Press, New York.