"This changes things": Children, targeting, and the making of precision

Area of Science:

• Political Science
• Sociology
• Media Studies
• Warfare Studies

Background:

• Civilian casualty avoidance is a critical factor in the political legitimacy of armed conflict.
• "Collateral damage" is managed through both material precision and cultural interpretations.
• The concept of childhood is central to public perception of ethical conduct in political violence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how childhood is culturally produced and shapes the discourse of "precision" in warfare.
• To analyze the role of popular culture, news, and social media in depicting the human consequences of imprecise attacks.
• To examine how the definition and perception of "children" influence targeting decisions and the "unmaking" of precision.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis drawing on insights from the 2015 film *Eye in the Sky*.
• Examination of the cultural production of collateral damage and its connection to governance.
• Exploration of childhood as a site of meaning-making in the context of political violence.

Main Results:

• Childhood serves as a significant site for constructing meaning around the ethical conduct of war.
• The depiction of children in media influences perceptions of weapon precision and the justification for strikes.
• The definition of who counts as a child in conflict zones is not fixed and impacts "precision" calculations.

Conclusions:

• The cultural understanding of childhood actively shapes the practical application and perception of military "precision".
• "Precision" in warfare is not solely a material or technical issue but is deeply intertwined with cultural and social factors.
• Further research is needed to understand the complex interplay between childhood, collateral damage, and governance in armed conflict.