Apparently not, judging by theWashington Post‘s October 3 story (“Military Drones Aid CIA’s mission”) about the CIA’s expansion of its drone war in Pakistan.It is “part of a high-stakes attempt by the Obama administration to deal decisive blows to Taliban insurgents,” and also “a significant evolution of an already controversial targeted killing program.”
Post readersget details from “a U.S. official”–who says things like, “Our intelligence has gotten a lot better.” The only other perspective comes from Bruce Reidel at Brookings, who is “a former CIA analyst who led the Obama administration’s initial overhaul of its Afghanistan/Pakistan strategy.” In other words, not much of a critic.
There are obviously fundamental questions about this policy–such as whether it’s legal, something Jim Lobe wrote about recentlyforInter Press Service (4/2/10).
The New York Times recently referred to “Pakistan’s sensitivity about its sovereignty”–as if the country were particularly touchy about such things.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/07/world/asia/07diplo.html
So, if Mexico decided to use drones on cartel members hiding in Texas, that would be fine with the locals? Oh, yeah, their ‘intelligence’ isn’t 100%.
Yes, Thomas Alva, just imagine what would happen if the good old USA was ever the victim of even a tiny fraction of the horrors we routinely visit upon those other people, those who do not matter–the citizens of sovereign Pakistan, or Iraq, or Iran, or El Salvador, or . . . .
The military cannot accomplish our stated objectives to begin with.
This approach is fundamentally flawed.
Neither can repeated drone attacks win hearts and minds.
More than a few wedding parties have been slaughtered by drones.
This is no way to wage combat in an war we should not be in, in the first place.
Bring the troops â┚¬” and our tax money â┚¬” back home now.
On Saturday, Sept. 18, the Fresno Bee published my letter on the Opinion page objecting to the drone attacks, which an earlier Bee article had pointed out had started in 2004.
Wow… even “your” man Barrack with his incredibly limited grasp of things, has realized a simple fact.We are coming home when we have prepared the way for the Afghan people to hinder, and stop the kind of camps and organizations that once ruled their country – and that launched the attacks against us on 9/11 from returning. Simple No?
Pakistan is also threatened by these same animals. Our cross boarder raids are I am sure seen as a God send no matter what is officially said.Officially Pakistan says how dare you. Behind the scene I would wager they are handing us intel hand over fist.As messed up as they are, remember….their neck is first on the chopping block.
Every military expert when asked, where will a nuclear attack against this country most likely originate from– point to Pakistan.Obama was once a member of your defeat-retreat-and surrender crowd.Three words changed him. Top secret briefings!He wants out more than you believe me. But we must be pragmatic.Go watch the film 911. Remember why we are there.
The unnecessary and shameful waste in Afghanistan that has expanded to Pakistan sounds like it is giving way to the same old lies as we heard in Viet Nam. Except that everything we killed there was a Viet Cong specifically including, water buffalo, children, farmers and their families. We have changed the line to identifying all our unseen victims as “Taliban”, including Pakistani soldiers. And the effort is fruitless. This is not the way to peace.
Best answer yet…
“So, if Mexico decided to use drones on cartel members hiding in Texas, that would be fine with the locals? Oh, yeah, their ‘intelligence’ isn’t 100%.”
That’s right, Gene. Some of us of a certain age, who don’t have their heads up their asses, remember all too well our Vietnam experience. We’re hearing the exact same lies and the exact same rationales (“winning hearts and minds”), and that means we’re getting the same results as before. Some of us never learn. Sooner rather than later, the day of reckoning will come–soldiers will start missing paychecks, benefits will be cut back severely (“we all must sacrifice, even our brave men and women in uniform”), and the “mission,” whatever it will be in the not too distant future, will end, because all the money will be gone.
P.S.: Yeah, Sofedup, that line pretty much sums up the USA’s staggering hypocrisy and murderous criminal stupidity. It reminds me of the old school yard joke: “Do unto others, and then run.”
Sadly, “Us and them” is fundemental to human history. One has always fought the other and always will. It is the great tragedy for the human race. We will eventually get ours too. No one stays on top forever.
One question…….To those of us who will never learn.Is anything worth going to war for?Is any war winnable?Has any war ever been a victory for mankind as opposed to the alternative?Was the outcome of ww1 and ww2 preferable to what could of been?And isn’t that always the way….People like you espousing your views so openly.The benefit of freedoms fought for by so many.If the fight had gone the other way- you would be the first to be silenced.It is always so.