Death from Heaven: An Analysis of Drones’ Necropolitical Practices in Yemen and Gaza

Abstract

This research explores how drones reproduce necropolitical practices by examining their deployment in the contexts of Yemen during the Obama administration, and in Gaza since 2014. Drawing on Achille Mbembe’s theory of necropolitics, this thesis aims to analyse how drones operate as instruments that enable the power of administering death beyond traditional battlefields. This is studied through the lens of three analytical categories: the Other, the sovereign right of death, and the living dead. Looking at a variety of sources, from speeches and governmental documents to NGOs’ and investigative journalist reports, this research suggests that drones are not a neutral technology, but rather serve as contemporary tools for enabling or producing necropolitical forms of governance, control, and violence.