Unmanned aerial vehicles, often called "drones," are coming to American skies. We've identified 10 commonly held myths related to the technology and legal framework involved in drones and their use.
Dexter is all about U.S. foreign policy and the moral calculus of a superpower. Our government has likewise been on a killing streak, and there's no end in sight. But we are also, as a country, conflicted about this propensity toward murder.
Much controversy has surrounded the use of remote-controlled drone aircraft in the war on terror. But another, still more awe-inducing possibility has emerged: taking human beings out of the decision loop altogether.
The city of Chicago and the federal government will be putting on a security extravaganza later this month in part to protect NATO delegates, representing the most powerful military force on the planet, from nonviolent protesters who want to see an end to war.
With the intensification of the U.S. military and economic push in Colombia, we sadly can anticipate more such violence against peaceful actors in Colombia in order to make Colombian land secure for massive appropriation and exploitation.
Not only do "signature strikes" increase the risk of killing civilians and people who have no dispute with the U.S.; their existence is crucial to the question of whether the drone strikes are legal.
In his campaign to win the election as a war president, Barack Obama flatters the worst vices of chauvinism and panders to the most vulgar and brutal idea of the qualities that define a leader and the actions that ennoble a country. No alchemy of eloquence can atone for the confession of moral surrender involved in such a boast.
Imagine the effect this has on psyches, and particularly on young ones already scarred by war and displacement. Ironically, Washington points to these tactics as proof of the efficacy of drone strikes.
We will find ourselves operating under a new paradigm marked by round-the-clock surveillance and with little hope of real privacy, short of living in a cave far removed from the reach of modern technology. Caves, by the way, are rather scarce.
Looking through the clear plastic of the shields into these young soldiers' faces, I couldn't fail to think of Bradley Manning, outside whose prison we had stood vigil the previous day.
The case of the December 17, 2009, attack in Yemen demonstrates everything that is horribly wrong with the targeted killing program, and serves as a call to action to all those concerned about the rule of law and respect for human life.
No more clever wordplay (enhanced interrogations, "patriot" act, targeted killing, kinetic operations) but a simple declaration that the U.S. government will kill its own citizens when it wishes to.
Last week, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and a group of Republican Senators introduced the SECURE-IT Act which gives the NSA some of what it wanted, a NSA led surveillance program, albeit by another name.
In Syria today we don't need more harrowing images. We know what is happening and we know who is responsible. But there are no quick military fixes or technological shortcuts.
What should be done if there are no obvious battlefields and no certain combatants? Should propagandists be treated as fighters? Are any procedural protections required before a U.S. citizen can be killed?
The use of drones for military purposes is accelerating rapidly. To better understand the problems raised by drones, it is essential to set them within the context of the broader crisis our political system faces today.