Assassination by drone is a subject of deep and enduring fascination. Yet few understand how and why this has become our principal way of waging war. This week we speak with Andrew Cockburn, author of the new book, Kill Chain: The Rise of the High-Tech Assassins, as he helps uncover the real and extraordinary story about drone warfare and the ways in which the technology works and, despite official claims, does not work. Additionally, we discuss 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 in the military and intelligence establishments, Andrew Cockburn unveils the true effects, as demonstrated by bloody experience, of assassination warfare.

Andrew Cockburn is the Washington Editor of Harper’s magazine and the author of many articles and books on national security, including the New York Times Editor’s Choice Rumsfeld and The Threat. He is a regular opinion contributor to the Los Angeles Times and has written for, among others, the New York Times, National Geographic and the London Review of Books.

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