Dehumanisation is used as a tool to allow us to commit crimes or atrocities that wouldn’t happen otherwise. In its most extreme form it is found in genocides such as the Rwandan genocide where Tutsis were described as “cockroaches”.

More subtly, dehumanisation occurs when distance is used to create indifference and detachment. In the Holocaust, the Nazis used Xyklon B gas to execute prisoners, creating both physical and psychological distance from the act.

For the first time in history we are now able to wage war without the presence of humans. Dr. Salah Sharief explores the phenomenon of drone warfare and explains how by removing human interaction from war, we are making it easier to kill.