Winning wars: the triumphs and myths of technology

Abstract

This paper examines the use of technology in warfare, from the Great War, with its use of artillery, to the War on Terror, with its breakthrough in air and drone power. The use of drones, due to their alleged precision, was meant to be ethical and legal. Strategic bombardment, it was claimed, could win wars. It would also cement the American claim of superiority, hegemony and power in the war against terrorism. We ask if superior technology can guarantee victory and what that victory would look like, or whether its use can result in such human loss that a military victory becomes unconscionable. After the failure of technology to protect life in the 20th century, what has been achieved in the 21st century War on Terror? What constitutes a triumph and to what extent is that triumph a myth?