Drones: When Counter-Terrorism Goes Wrong
Article: Hannah Kim, Jaejun Ku
Editor: Hannah Kim
Designer: Sarah Cho
Editor: Hannah Kim
Designer: Sarah Cho
It is an undeniable fact that America is deeply entrenched in the so called “War on Terror.” From the infamous 9/11 incident to more recent terrorist groups such as ISIS, President Obama has made it clear that combating terrorism is on the very top of the CIA’s agenda. One of the more popular methods of dealing with terrorists is the controversial issue of drones.
Supporters of drones claim that UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) are significantly more accurate than more conventional means of military force against terrorists, which is true. The amount of collateral damage is estimated at between 16% and 28%, much lower than with soldiers or regular air strikes where innocent civilians can comprise up to half of all casualties. No military solution has ever been able to completely rule out the possibility of civilian deaths, but drones are more accurate than any of the alternatives. But the benefits of drones is far undermined by its harms. Collateral damage is not the main problem with drones- the problem is that America’s war on terror simply does not work out in the long run. According to Jeremy Hammond, writer for Foreign Policy Journal, “...the US is not officially at war with Pakistan, Yemen, or Somalia, yet has launched hundreds of attacks on these countries and their citizens without any legal authority, circumventing sovereignty and attacking targets without actually being at war.” Obama has basically given himself the authority to kill anyone in the world, soldier or civilian, who is deemed to be a threat to US national security, without any sort of proper legal oversight or scrutiny. While drone warfare may not raise much attention in the West, it is extremely unpopular among the countries they target. Two thirds of Pakistanis are opposed to drone strikes on their territory and, partly as a result, up to three quarters now view the US as their enemy. By relying on UAVs to take out terrorists, you poison public opinion against the West. This just proves to be problematic in the long run, as you recruit more young men to become future terrorists. For the benefit of a short-term victory, in the longer term drone strikes are worsening the position of the US in the eyes of many citizens of the world. |
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