This essential, page-turning narrative on the history of drone warfare by the acclaimed author of Rumsfeld explores how this practice emerged, who made it happen, and the real consequences of targeted killing.Assassination by drone is a subject of deep and enduring fascination, yet few understand how and why it has become our principal way of waging war. Kill Chain uncovers the real and extraordinary story of drone warfare-its origins in long-buried secret programs, the breakthroughs which made drone operations possible, the ways in which the technology works, and, despite official claims, does not work. Taking the listener inside the well-guarded world of national security, the book reveals the powerful interests-military, CIA, and corporate-that have led the drive to kill individuals by remote control. Most importantly of all, the book describes what has really happened when the theories underpinning the strategy-and the multi-billion dollar contracts they spawn-have been put to the test.Drawing on sources deep within the military and intelligence establishments, Andrew Cockburn's Kill Chain unveils the true effects, as demonstrated by bloody experience, of assassination warfare-a revelation that readers will find surprising and shocking.
"Richly informative, superbly researched, and utterly illuminating."
Nick Turse, author of Kill Anything That Moves
"A blood-curdling account of the rise of robot warfare, a great story, and a prophecy to be read and heeded."
Tim Weiner, New York Times bestselling author of Legacy of Ashes
"An examination of the rise of the present generation of killing machines, antiseptic and seemingly inescapable…Sharp-eyed and disturbing, especially Cockburn's concluding assessment that, nourished by an unending flow of money, 'the assassination machine is here to stay.'"
