The US and Drone Strikes

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Taylor White
POL 357
Professor Shirk
13 April 2018
The US and Drone Strikes

            While many of al Qaeda’s attacks have failed, since 1993 the group’s actions have changed the lives of many American families resulting in the American government employing a myriad of strategies to defeat the terrorist organization. In its self-proclaimed “War on Terror,” the US has extradited, tortured, and organized drone strikes on supposed terrorists with varying degrees of success with each method. Although all three are controversial, the unreliable tactic of drone strikes, with their increased usage, are called into question as each attack seemingly kills more civilians than suspected terrorists. For the US to successfully defeat al Qaeda, it must either abandon the controversial tactic or restructure it, as those it targets are growing more aware of the workings of the system and as more civilians are falling victim to such attacks.
Just as torture has not proven to be successful, drone strikes which are based on unreliable cell phone activity by supposed terrorists have achieved similar results. The NSA tracks its targets via their cell phones, and after learning the routine of their target, the NSA will either strike or raid the target’s quarters. As a result of relying on electronic surveillance, the US military does not step foot on the ground to confirm that its attacks will be directed at their target, rather than innocent civilians.  As the US continues to use the same method of attacks, its targets are developing strategies to circumvent the surveillance. Thus, not only are innocents dying in these attacks just because they may be in possession of the tracked phone, but their success is decreasing as, “targets are increasingly aware of the NSA’s reliance on geolocating, and have moved to thwart the tactic.[1]” As this tactic is based almost entirely on circumstance, the US should consider abandoning this strategy as it is a waste of resources. 
While it is impossible to know exactly who is in the area of a future drone strike, the US may claim success in killing terrorists in the Middle East, but it also must claim responsibility for the number of civilians it has murdered in these assaults. If another state such as Russia were to commit similar attacks and achieve the same result, the loss of civilian lives, the US would quickly condemn the state’s actions. Yet the US is unwilling to admit that its tactics achieve little success and although aware of the system’s errors, is doing very little to remedy them. Those at the NSA, “…make rushed decisions and are often wrong in their assessments. They jump to conclusions and there is no going back to correct mistakes.[2]” While in the Middle East there are people who deserve to be taken care of by the NSA, those who live in the region and are innocent are disregarded by the agency. Although the NSA is working to save the lives of American citizens, in doing, so it sacrifices others. As a nation, America reveres the rights of life and liberty and claims to fight for them, yet this resolve is not found in America’s drone strikes. It is ironic that as the US fights to ensure the rights of its citizens that it does not, “…put them (those civilians in the Middle East) on an equal level and to treat them with respect.[3]”
The US’ involvement in the region through drone strikes may counteract the state’s fight on terrorism since the strikes make America appear as the enemy. In the Middle East, a lot of individuals are drawn to terrorist groups in response to acts perpetrated by the US that devastated many in the region. As a result, there has been an increase in anti-West ideology, which is not aided by the continued drone strikes. If anything, these drone strikes may work against the US because as the strikes kill more civilians, the disenfranchised friends and family members of those killed will blame the US as the source of their misfortune. Subsequently, rather than killing terrorists these strikes may be creating more of them as more people could begin to see America and the west as regions who threaten their lives.
As America fights to defeat terrorism, it uses many strategies to kill terrorists, including drone strikes in the Middle East. These drone strikes, although said to be successful are a waste of resources, inaccurate, and kill many civilians. As a result, if the US wants to be successful in fighting terrorism, it must recognize that drone strikes will not lead to victory. 


[1] Scahill, Jeremy, and Glenn Greenwald. "The NSA's Secret Role in the U.S. Assassination Program." The Intercept. February 10, 2014. Accessed April 12, 2018. https://theintercept.com/2014/02/10/the-nsas-secret-role/.
[2] Ibid,.
[3] Ibid,.

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