Human Rights Institute | Columbia Law School

Drone Strikes

The Human Rights Institute at Columbia Law School plays an important role in advocacy and research related to lethal targeting with drone technology and the impact on civilians. Through research, policy reports and expert meetings, we build consensus on the need for greater government transparency and accountability for drone strikes and civilian harm.

Naureen Shah, Associate Director of HRI's Counterterrorism and Human Rights Project, recently argued that  U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen have not proven effective at ensuring the security of people who live in those countries or long-term U.S. security. Shah joined a debate with five other counterterrorism experts and scholars over the proposition “Drone Warfare is Ethical and Effective,” in an event hosted by the Oxford Union, the preeminent debating society at Oxford University on April 25, 2013. 

Transcript of Naureen Shah's Testimony to the Congressional Hearing on U.S. Drone Policy, May 8, 2013

Human Rights Clinic's submission of testimony to Senate Judiciary hearing on drones, April 23, 2012

View the major report Civilian Impact of Drones:Unexamined Costs, Unanswered Questions

View the report on media practices Counting Drone Strike Deaths

Watch the C-SPAN broadcast of Targeting with Drone Technology: Humanitarian Law Implications.

Read the Institute's briefing paper on the U.S. government's legal standards for drones use.

Read the Institute's letter on U.N. concerns regarding U.S. targeting operations with drone technology. 

Read recent articles by Institute’s Naureen Shah, President Obama's Dangerous Drone Legacy (USA Today, Oct. 1, 2012); The CIA's Unchecked Quasi-Military Role (Politico, May 10, 2012); Drone Attacks and the Brennan Doctrine (Guardian, May 2, 2012).