For decades, the Danish peace movement has been a shadow of its former self, and it has become increasingly difficult to find a left-wing politician who doesn’t also support rearmament in light of the threat from Putin’s Russia.
However, at the University of Southern Denmark, a young American drone researcher is puzzled by how the Danes suddenly became so keen on rearming and seem to accept it without question. Dylan Cawthorne, born in Alaska, is quite familiar with what it’s like to live in a superpower with the world’s largest military budget.
»I am deeply concerned about the militarization of the Danish public and private sectors. It reminds me of living in the U.S., where the defense industry permeates all aspects of work life and personal life. I believe it creates a culture of violence and aggression,« he writes in the appeal titled »Yes to Drones for Peace, No to Drones for War.«
Next month, the airport near Odense will host an international drone show, where Dylan Cawthorne plans to demonstrate and hopes others will join him. So far, though, he admits he is mostly a one-man band. Both the defense force and defense industry have made the airport a hub for drone development, which has rapidly revolutionized the way war is waged in Ukraine, as Politiken has detailed in a series of articles.
But even his own research institute at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) is involved in developing military drones, and according to Dylan Cawthorne, this is where the funds and efforts are being poured to such an extent that »you almost feel surrounded.« Last year, the university appointed former Brigadier General Ole Kværnø to lead a new center for defense drones.
Since the American researcher moved to Denmark nearly 10 years ago, our small country has undergone a transformation, Dylan Cawthorne feels. But the same can be said for the rest of Europe after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. There is also the looming fear that the Putin regime might next attack a NATO country—so what’s wrong with rearmament?
»History is full of examples where bombing each other doesn’t lead to anything good. Now Denmark is engaging in massive rearmament, which doesn’t really matter much in the bigger picture. But why not take a different path and invest a percentage of GDP in diplomacy, humanitarian tasks, and creating peace?«
Drones for peace
But couldn’t Dylan Cawthorne just as well argue that the Allied countries in World War II should have used peaceful means in the fight against Hitler? Today, there is broad political consensus in Europe that Putin is a dangerous man.
»You could say that, but it easily becomes yet another race to the bottom. Drones might be effective for psychological warfare and terror. But they are dangerous weapons because they are unmanned and remote, thus removing some of the responsibility from decision-makers and those who push the button,« explains Dylan Cawthorne.
It’s important to note that the American researcher strongly supports drones as long as they are used for peaceful purposes such as protecting animals, improving agriculture, and mapping Africa. That’s the background for his initiative called »Yes to Drones for Peace, No to Drones for War.«
Dylan Cawthorne is a trained engineer and has written a dissertation on ethics and drone design. So he hopes people will listen when he shows up at the international drone show at the airport near Odense next month.
»I’m foolish enough to publicly present my critique, while other colleagues feel pressured by management and are afraid to speak up, even though they agree with me. But I’m willing to have a discussion with anyone at the drone show, because rarely does good come from dividing the world into good and evil,« says the American.
