Research, ideas, and leadership for a more secure, peaceful world

Past Event
Seminar

What is a High-Value Target Really Worth? Evidence from U.S. Drone Strikes in Pakistan

Open to the Public

This seminar will examine the effectiveness of the United States' classified targeted killing program against high-value militants in Pakistan. The United States' controversial use of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology, or drones, as a counterterrorism instrument has raised many concerns, yet a fundamental question underwriting U.S. drone attacks has not been systematically investigated: Does targeted killing work?

Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.

Date: Time: - Location: Littauer Building - Belfer Center Library, Room 369
In a Jan. 31, 2010 file photo, a U.S. Predator drone flies over the moon above Kandahar Air Field, southern Afghanistan.

About

This seminar will examine the effectiveness of the United States' classified targeted killing program against high-value militants in Pakistan. The United States' controversial use of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology, or drones, as a counterterrorism instrument has raised many concerns, yet a fundamental question underwriting U.S. drone attacks has not been systematically investigated: Does targeted killing work? Using publicly available data on drone strikes in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), the speakers conduct microlevel empirical analysis on this question. Their preliminary results suggest that (1) neutralizing high-value targets reduces terrorist violence according to certain metrics but not others, and that (2) the duration of these effects varies. Based on these preliminary results, theoretical conjectures are developed for future research.

Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.