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Arguments Against Drones

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Drones are an essential tool in the American counterterrorism program. However they have become an object of extreme controversy for the past few years. The United States government has been quite tight lipped when it comes to speaking about the drone program which has caused many people to question the ethics and legitimacy of the program. However the fact still stands: Drone are an essential tool in the American counterterrorism program. The objective of the war in the middle east is to destroy the terrorists as stated by president Obama “Let’s kill the guys who are trying to kill us”____. And we have accomplished just that through the use of drones. “ ‘Core Al Qaeda is a rump of its former self,’ said an American counterterrorism official …show more content…

“The drone pilot might sit in Nevada”____. However this is not to say that no personnel is required to be in the area “The drone itself has a limited range, requires an airstrip, fuel, repairs, and 200 or so personnel to keep it in the air”____. Although it may not seem to be much, the drones allow for a smaller ground force and the opportunity for more troops to return home. The controversy of this whole topic though is how do civilians fare with …show more content…

Marina fails however to define what she means by intended targets and so it may be that only one terrorist was meant to be killed yet ten were killed in a strike. That would equal 90 percent unintended targets, yet no civilians. However, recently a collaborative effort to put forth accurate statistics on drone strikes has occurred between The New America Foundation, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, and The Long War Journal; all of which are reputable, respected, and unbiased sources. They came up with 522 strikes killing 3,852 people, 476 civilians. This may seem like a shocking figure yet records show that conventional airstrikes and ground invasions both kill more civilians on average than the drone. “The drone represents a steady advance in precision that has cut zeros off collateral-damage figures”____. So although the drone has not met the miracle expectations that were set for it; it is still the best option

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