Reflection 09: Fire in the Sky—Understanding the Predator Drone Debate

Since 2002, American tactical operations in the Middle East have utilized unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly referred to as "predator drones." Predator drones were used increasingly by the Bush Administration through 2007. However, it has been the Obama Administration that has aggressively expanded the program. The current administration argues that these high-tech drones are an effective and precise weapon in the war against terrorism. They also point to a number of high-ranking al-Qaeda and Taliban officials that have been killed as a result of the program. Additionally, predator drones allow the Unites States to carry out significant tactical operations without the use of soldiers on the ground, something the American public has lost its appetite for after a decade of war. Opponents argue that the program is immoral because it allows the United States to keep its hands clean while unleashing terror on foreign populations. Critics also point to the increasing number of civilian causalities. These deaths, they argue, are significantly damaging to our efforts to win over "the hearts and minds" of the Arab world. The fact that the program is operated (largely in secret) by the CIA, and not the military, is another point of contention. Here at home, drones remain popular with Americans despite increasing liberal and conservative resistance in Congress. What do you believe should be the American policy on predator drones? Are drones simply as an efficient means of carrying out American military objectives or are we now responsible for our own weapons of terror in the Middle East? Is it realistic for America to expect to both achieve ambitious military goals and keep our troops at home?

Include at least three of the following pieces in your discussion:

• "Drones: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know But Were Always Afraid to Ask" (Mother Jones)
• "Are Drones Any More Immoral than Other Weapons of War? (Guardian)
• "Drones Save Lives, American and Other" (New York Times)
• "Why Our Drone Warfare Campaign is Right and Moral" (Daily Beast)
• "In Swat Valley, US Drone Strikes Radicalizing a New Generation" (CNN)
• "The View From the Wreckage' (New York Times) 

Requirements:

• MLA Style
• Two full pages in length
• Works cited page

Due: Th 04.25