How Civilian Lives Have Become Worthless In The Name of Air Power
The first civilians killed in air bombings and how we got here
Today, both history and the daily news cycle are filled with stories about the bombing of civilians from the air. Civilians were killed in large numbers during World War II by global strategic bombing raids. Civilians were also the target of widespread air attacks during the Vietnam War. In both cases, hundreds of thousands of innocents died from bombs dropped from the air in the name of victory. Civilian deaths were written off as a necessary evil, and proponents of strategic bombing say that the violence was needed to defeat evil abroad.
Now, tens of thousands of Palestinians are being killed or wounded in airstrikes ordered by Israel in another war. With each new conflict, it seems more and more civilians are being killed by fearsome planes and devastating bombs. Everyone is uncomfortable with the idea of families being killed by air raids, yet the practice continues in earnest.
So how did we get here? How did we evolve from a handful of civilians being targeted in World War I to tens of thousands being killed in a matter of weeks?
