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.