Moral and Ethical Dilemmas from America’s Use of Drones

Purpose: The primary goal of our third summative assignment is to explore the moral and ethical conduct of foreign policy. Specifically, you will use the moral/ethical concepts of relativism, universalism, and pragmatism to analyze the use of unmanned drones by the U.S. to achieve national security objectives.

Prepare: Review Chapters 5, 6 and 7 in the course text. In addition, watch the video, The U.S. Drone Program is Fatally Flawed: A Debate.

Reflect: The contemporary international system is faced with many challenges and opportunities. Major challenges and opportunities emerge from international events that often create ethical and moral dilemmas. Challenges (i.e., how to treat our fellow humans morally and ethically) or opportunities (i.e., how to establish absolute standards of human conduct and behavior in international affairs) are part of these enduring moral and ethical dilemmas. Scholars have developed conceptions of moral and ethical behavior that enable us to better understand and evaluate these challenges and opportunities. Among these conceptions are relativism, universalism, and pragmatism. A deeper understanding of these concepts will enable you to expand your investigations of complex and contentious international events, such as the use of drones to implement foreign policy goals.

Write: In your assignment, complete the following:

• Based on the video, discuss the relativistic, universalistic, and pragmatic moral and ethical arguments for the use of drones.
• Based on the video, discuss the relativistic, universalistic, and pragmatic moral and ethical arguments against the use of drones.
• Identify one argument that supports U.S. national security objectives and explain why.

The Week Three Assignment:

• Must be at least two pages (not including title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
• Must include a separate title page with the following:
  • Title of paper
  • Student’s name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted
• Must use at least three appropriate sources:
  • These could include the article, the course text, and any of the required or recommended resources for this week.
  • You can also include additional resources found on the Ashford University Library website. The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types.
• Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the In-Text Citation Guide.
• Must include an introductory paragraph with a succinct thesis statement.
• Must include a conclusion that summarizes the main points and restates the thesis.
• Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the APA References List.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.