Armed Drones in the German Bundestag

This book examines how armed military drones gradually became a political option in Germany despite years of intense parliamentary controversy. Drawing on more than 500 Bundestag documents from 2009 to 2018, it traces the discourse that led from strong opposition to the leasing of five "armable" drones and, ultimately, to the 2021 decision to permit their armament. Using the concept of the contextual "discursive ecosystem," the study reveals how party politics, shifting actors, technology, and wider political developments dynamically interacted and shaped German drone policy.