Thursday, October 22, 2009
US Drones
(And no, this time I do not mean US Professors of Philosophy).
The U.S. government runs two drone programs. The military's version, which is publicly acknowledged, operates in the recognized war zones of Afghanistan and Iraq, and targets enemies of US. troops stationed there. As such, it is an extension of conventional warfare. The C.I.A.'s program is aimed at terror suspects around the world, including in countries where U.S. troops are not based. The program is classified as covert, and the intelligence agency declines to provide any information to the public about where it operates, how it selects targets, who is in charge, or how many people have been killed.
Even if a precise account is elusive, the outlines are clear: the C.I.A. has joined the Pakistani intelligence service in an aggressive campaign to eradicate local and foreign militants, who have taken refuge in some of the most inaccessible parts of the country.
IMO: OK for drones, that seems great but it sure would be foolish if they trust ISI.
The C.I.A. bombardments have continued at a rapid pace with Obama
It's easy to understand the appeal of a "push-button" approach to fighting Al Qaeda, but the embrace of the Predator program has occurred with remarkably little public discussion, given that it represents a radically new and geographically unbounded use of state-sanctioned lethal force. And, because of the C.I.A. program's secrecy, there is no visible system of accountability in place, despite the fact that the agency has killed many civilians inside a politically fragile, nuclear-armed country with which the U.S. is not at war.
IMO: There is a long report here, which makes interesting reading and it may well be true, and probably is true, that there should be even more drone attacks, but here could be at least two provisos, neither of which are easy.
(1) Maybe some smaller, cheaper and more selective missiles than Hellfire should be used more often. Occasionally much larger missiles may be needed.
(2) The public should be kept in touch, but sensationalist US media like Fox News are prone to distort, and on the other hand some media seem to be comprised of peaceniks. The situation cannot be easy for the President.
The U.S. government runs two drone programs. The military's version, which is publicly acknowledged, operates in the recognized war zones of Afghanistan and Iraq, and targets enemies of US. troops stationed there. As such, it is an extension of conventional warfare. The C.I.A.'s program is aimed at terror suspects around the world, including in countries where U.S. troops are not based. The program is classified as covert, and the intelligence agency declines to provide any information to the public about where it operates, how it selects targets, who is in charge, or how many people have been killed.
Even if a precise account is elusive, the outlines are clear: the C.I.A. has joined the Pakistani intelligence service in an aggressive campaign to eradicate local and foreign militants, who have taken refuge in some of the most inaccessible parts of the country.
IMO: OK for drones, that seems great but it sure would be foolish if they trust ISI.
The C.I.A. bombardments have continued at a rapid pace with Obama
It's easy to understand the appeal of a "push-button" approach to fighting Al Qaeda, but the embrace of the Predator program has occurred with remarkably little public discussion, given that it represents a radically new and geographically unbounded use of state-sanctioned lethal force. And, because of the C.I.A. program's secrecy, there is no visible system of accountability in place, despite the fact that the agency has killed many civilians inside a politically fragile, nuclear-armed country with which the U.S. is not at war.
IMO: There is a long report here, which makes interesting reading and it may well be true, and probably is true, that there should be even more drone attacks, but here could be at least two provisos, neither of which are easy.
(1) Maybe some smaller, cheaper and more selective missiles than Hellfire should be used more often. Occasionally much larger missiles may be needed.
(2) The public should be kept in touch, but sensationalist US media like Fox News are prone to distort, and on the other hand some media seem to be comprised of peaceniks. The situation cannot be easy for the President.
# posted by uv : 4:52 AM
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
