Kill Chain, Andrew Cockburn
Kill Chain, Andrew Cockburn
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Kill Chain
The Rise of the High-Tech Assassins

Author: Andrew Cockburn

Narrator: Malcolm Hillgartner

Unabridged: 10 hr 10 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/10/2015

Synopsis

This essential, page-turning narrative on the history of drone warfare by the acclaimed author of Rumsfeld explores how this practice emerged, who made it happen, and the real consequences of targeted killing.Assassination by drone is a subject of deep and enduring fascination, yet few understand how and why it has become our principal way of waging war. Kill Chain uncovers the real and extraordinary story of drone warfare—its origins in long-buried secret programs, the breakthroughs which made drone operations possible, the ways in which the technology works, and, despite official claims, does not work. Taking the listener inside the well-guarded world of national security, the book reveals the powerful interests—military, CIA, and corporate—that have led the drive to kill individuals by remote control. Most importantly of all, the book describes what has really happened when the theories underpinning the strategy—and the multibillion dollar contracts they spawn—have been put to the test.Drawing on sources deep within the military and intelligence establishments, Andrew Cockburn’s Kill Chain unveils the true effects, as demonstrated by bloody experience, of assassination warfare—a revelation that readers will find surprising and shocking.

About Andrew Cockburn

Andrew Cockburn is the Washington editor of Harper’s and the author of many articles and books on national security, including the New York Times Editor’s Choice Rumsfeld and The Threat. He is a regular opinion contributor to the Los Angeles Times and has written for, among others, the New York Times, Vanity Fair, National Geographic, and the London Review of Books.

About Malcolm Hillgartner

Malcolm Hillgartner is an accomplished actor, writer, and musician. Named an AudioFile Best Voice of 2013 and the recipient of several Earphones Awards, he has narrated over 250 audiobooks.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Chris on March 01, 2015

tl;dr Starting back in WWII, Cockburn assiduously documents the origins of drone program's "targeted assassinations," diving not only into the flawed weapons systems themselves, but the misbegotten logic that underpins their use. In Kill Chain, Andrew Cockburn looks at the historic context for and mo......more

Goodreads review by Ben on March 08, 2016

Those with strong opinions on the US' increasingly frequent use of military drones should read this informative review of the history of unmanned warfare - it goes back farther than you'd think. The facts largely support the popular narrative that drones are highly imprecise, far-reaching in collate......more

Goodreads review by Gordon on July 15, 2015

People tend to split into two groups, those who attack George W. Bush as the fascist, stupid monster who dragged an unwilling America into two foreign wars and those who attack Barrack H. Obama, as the socialist destroyer of our democracy who is coming for our guns. Unfortunately, both men's foreign......more

Quotes

“A blood-curdling account of the rise of robot warfare, a great story, and a prophecy to be read and heeded.” Tim Weiner, New York Times bestselling author of Legacy of Ashes

“Cockburn pulls back the camera to provide a wider historical perspective, setting the policy of targeted killing via drones within the larger context of the American military-industrial complex…[and] carries the torch of the antiwar crusade into current debates.” Washington Post

“A fascinating book…a revelatory, must-read account of drones and killing from the air.” San Francisco Chronicle

“Cockburn is a crackerjack writer…He draws a high-resolution picture of vested interests (kickbacks, egos, along with Raytheon, Lockheed, Northrop, Hughes, General Dynamics, Booz Allen, and company), leading us down the garden path…The military’s strategy is a failure.” Christian Science Monitor

“An informative and easy-to-read book for those interested in this hot topic. Perhaps a drone will drop it off at your front door.” Library Journal (starred review)

“Cockburn admirably explains the strategies, intentions, and emotions that continue to surround the program.” Publishers Weekly

“A report that is both enlivening and terribly troubling.” Booklist

“An examination of the rise of the present generation of killing machines, antiseptic and seemingly inescapable…Sharp-eyed and disturbing, especially Cockburn’s concluding assessment that, nourished by an unending flow of money, ‘the assassination machine is here to stay.’” Kirkus Reviews

“Richly informative, superbly researched, and utterly illuminating.” Nick Turse, author of Kill Anything That Moves

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