Global War, Biopower and The Rise of Drone Warfare in the 21st Century

In this senior project I assert that 9/11 was a turning point for the U.S. that changed the way it views warfare and security, which consequently allowed for the abuse of law and power around the globe, specifically in countries such as Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia. This abuse will be explained using three frameworks: constitutional and international law as defined in the Office of Legal Counsel white paper; philosophically through the lens of biopower and other concepts from Michel Foucault, Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri; and lastly I will discuss the issues of the drone campaign using case studies from Yemen. By declaring “global war” and exerting biopower over Al Qaeda and foreign citizens, the United States has created a drone empire of death, in which the U.S. seeks to control certain spaces and populations at the cost of civilian life, public space, and political agency