The Illusion of Perfect Warfare

The U.S. Navy launches an aeriel drone during a weapons firing exercise off the coast of Brazil in 2011.

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Stuart Phillips

Have you ever wondered why seemingly successful wars never seem to end?

Author and intelligence expert William M. Arkin tries to answer the question of unending wars in his new book Unmanned: Drones, Data, and the Illusion of Perfect Warfare(Little, Brown and Company/ 2015). Arkin argues the digital revolution’s creation of drones and a reluctance to put boots on the ground yields seemingly endless warfare.

Host Frank Stasio talks with Arkin about the history of drones, how they are used in warfare and the cost to society.

Frank Stasio

Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.

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Hady Mawajdeh

Hady Mawajdeh is a native Texan, born and raised in San Antonio. He listened to Fresh Air growing up and fell in love with public radio. He earned his B.A. in Mass Communication at Texas State University and specialized in electronic media. He worked at NPR affiliate stations KUT and KUTX in Austin, Texas as an intern, producer, social media coordinator, and a late-night deejay.

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