Abstract
In the past few years books on drones have mushroomed. The latest addition to the shelf is Chris Woods’s book Sudden Justice. Woods is a renowned journalist, and specializes in investigative journalism and national security and conflict issues. Sudden Justice is a thorough expose of the world of drone warfare, which embodies 300 tightly written pages, and offers an insight into the drone programme from officials, personally involved. Woods, in his book, describes the drone and its success as an “accident of history” and “world’s first airborne sniper rifle.” Introduced as surveillance machines, drones are now knee-deep in active combat zones, and their effectiveness is considered “beyond the conventional battlefields.” The book presents a detailed account of the history of the drone weapon, and of how the first armed drone was brought into the production line. The book provides a detailed account of the “Drone” starting from its origins to the present day use and its possible future. The author explains how the drone programme has transformed the modern rules of war and introduced technological innovation in the traditional asymmetric warfare. The usage of drones is not just limited to war zones in Afghanistan and Pakistan. With new combat fronts in Somalia and Yemen, drones are becoming a weapon of choice for surveillance and combat. The second part of the book in great detail traces the drone campaigns since 2001. There has been an increased dependency of the US and international forces on drones, in the aftermath of the 9/11. Woods describes that the “drone’s primary impact has actually been on the conventional battlefield.” It carries details that have never been published before. It is a thoroughly investigated book with interviews and discussions with the personnel operating the drone system, policy makers, NGOs and United Nations officials.