"Let nothing human be alien to me"- Terence

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Drone Reax

It seems I have a prior engagement to go shopping downtown today- which is totally awesome, right?- so I won't be able to get to some more response on the drone thing this morning.  There are some excellent and thoughtful comments which I want to address in a real post, rather than the comment section.

Additionally, Clint has a great response, continuing to look at it from a broader CT perspective, including trying to figure out the line between civilian and combatant- specifically: if you are sheltering AQAP, are you still "innocent collateral"?   It is probably the single most difficult question we've faced over the last decade, and one that needs to be addressed.  He doesn't ask it in the abstract, either, but in the context of Yemeni relationships.  There is a lot more there, too, so read it.

Aaron attacks the drone issue as well, in a must-read post.  One of the more important things he brings up, among others, is the unintended consequences of drone strikes- specifically how it might create allies where there weren't before (e.g. AQAP and the Southern Movement).  There is a lot to unpack here.

Finally, Gareth Porter comes from a different angle, looking at the internal politics and intelligence side of the drone debate.   I'm looking forward to talking about all of these in length- I really enjoy this.  Instead, for now, I'll be trying on shoes or something.  The say every girl is crazy for a sharp-dressed man, but probably not when he is thinking about drones. 

2 comments:

  1. Is there anything to the argument that use of drones is seen as "cowardly" to those on the ground and prove a recruiting boon above the revenge factor? Or is that just another qat-like Yemen myth I've heard so many times it starts to sound believable?

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  2. Here's a question: if the drones were Yemeni (far fetched, I know) would that make a difference to your analysis, and if so, why?

    Put another way, is the issue drones per se, or direct US action in Yemen (in whatever form it might take)?

    To refine further, is it a question of who should be leading on Yemen in terms of CIA vs. DoD vs. State?

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