I Drone, You Drown. The Deployment of Drones by Italian Authorities in the Lampedusa Refugee Crisis between 2013 and 2018.

Abstract

This thesis analyses the use of drones by Italian authorities to manage the refugee crisis in Lampedusa between 2013 and 2018, focusing on the logics of technological capability, humanitarianism, and securitisation. Lampedusa, a small Italian island located two hundred kilometres from Sicily and about one hundred kilometres from Tunisia, has become a focal point of the Mediterranean refugee crisis, witnessing significant humanitarian tragedies, such as the October 2013 shipwreck that resulted in over 360 deaths. By examining operations such as Mare Nostrum, a large-scale search and rescue mission, Frontex’s Triton, a border control initiative, Eunavfor Med Sophia and Frontex’s Themis, this study explores how drones, as technological tools, are shaped by their users' intentions and the socio-political context in which they are deployed. Employing a qualitative case study approach, this research utilizes secondary sources, including newspaper articles, policy documents, government transcripts, and reports, to form a comprehensive data corpus. The analysis identifies three primary logics governing the use of drones in this context: technological capability, humanitarian assistance, and securitisation. The study aims to determine which of these logics primarily drives the deployment of drones. This research contributes to the broader discourse on the intersection of technology, humanitarian efforts, and security operations, emphasizing the need to understand the complex interplay of these factors in managing the refugee crisis.