SPIEGEL ONLINE: Which consequences does the drone war have for the nations that lead them?
Singer: War used to be a very serious decision. Now we don't even declare war anymore. We don't pay war taxes, we don't buy war bonds. Now we can carry it out without having to deal with some of the consequences of sending our sons and daughters into harm's way. It also changes the way politicians think about war. You already have society's barriers against war dropping, and now you have a technology that takes the barriers to the ground.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Are we beyond the point of no return?
Singer: The debate is just starting in Washington. There are parallels to other historical moments when there was no turning back. The automobile in 1909. Computers before 1980. The nuclear bomb in 1940s. This is much beyond an evolution, it's a revolution. This happens very rarely in history. These developments force us to ask questions of right and wrong we never had to think about before.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Which questions?
Singer: For example the question of the public's relationship to war. The drone war is documented, downloaded, accessible for everyone. You can see the videos on YouTube. It's turning war for some into a form of entertainment. The soldiers call that "war porn." We can see more but experience less.
