September 11th, 2001 globally altered the processes in which countries assess their national security. From the perspective of international relations – concerning war and conflicts – nations all across the globe are currently enjoying a relative peaceful period in world history. Fewer nations declare war on each other. Since WWII, nations have experienced intense globalization, increased trade, more sophisticated diplomacy apparatuses, and a reverse trend in nuclear weapons proliferation. Nations must now contend with a threat – domestic and international terrorism – that demands different intelligence gathering processes and a sweeping change in militaristic strategy. Terrorism, both abroad and at home, has become a major national security
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The United Nations even has looked into the issue of innocent civilians dying involving U.S. drone strikes. Pakistan in particular has condemned the drone attacks (although initially they supported them and even co-strategized with the U.S.). Domestically, there are concerns over oversight on the executive branch. Even congress has chimed in on the issue, including Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), calling for a special court to oversee the drone strikes and reasoning and evidence backing them. Overall, drone strikes raise serious ethical and moral concerns; however, they also provide nations with flexible fiscal austerity measures and a massive reduction in the loss of combat troops on the ground. Moreover, the reduction in loss of civilian life is likely greater under drone strike programs than a traditional occupation of an area to do an extraction of wanted terrorists because of simpler, more streamlined logistics.
The following are three of the main policy viewpoints on the U.S. drone strike …show more content…
Drone Strike Program under the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) to Pentagon Control. This perspective centers on the debate of the CIA having control over the program – including the intelligence process, vetting process, and implementation, after the President signs off on the strike (for all strikes outside of Pakistan). Many military analysts believe, including folks at the United Nations, that drone programs should be conducted through the nation’s military so that these programs are subject to International Humanitarian Laws. Transferring the drone strike program to Pentagon control would mean more transparency, since the CIA is rife with secretive and clandestine operations. Currently, this is the perspective that the Obama administration is backing. He agrees that the move would quell domestic and international pressure, along with drastically increasing transparency. In particular, the U.S. government cannot legally acknowledge covert actions undertaken by the CIA. The failure to answer the growing demands for transparency increases the risk that U.S. drone strikes will be curtailed or eliminated due to mounting domestic or international
The United Nations even has looked into the issue of innocent civilians dying involving U.S. drone strikes. Pakistan in particular has condemned the drone attacks (although initially they supported them and even co-strategized with the U.S.). Domestically, there are concerns over oversight on the executive branch. Even congress has chimed in on the issue, including Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), calling for a special court to oversee the drone strikes and reasoning and evidence backing them. Overall, drone strikes raise serious ethical and moral concerns; however, they also provide nations with flexible fiscal austerity measures and a massive reduction in the loss of combat troops on the ground. Moreover, the reduction in loss of civilian life is likely greater under drone strike programs than a traditional occupation of an area to do an extraction of wanted terrorists because of simpler, more streamlined logistics.
The following are three of the main policy viewpoints on the U.S. drone strike …show more content…
Drone Strike Program under the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) to Pentagon Control. This perspective centers on the debate of the CIA having control over the program – including the intelligence process, vetting process, and implementation, after the President signs off on the strike (for all strikes outside of Pakistan). Many military analysts believe, including folks at the United Nations, that drone programs should be conducted through the nation’s military so that these programs are subject to International Humanitarian Laws. Transferring the drone strike program to Pentagon control would mean more transparency, since the CIA is rife with secretive and clandestine operations. Currently, this is the perspective that the Obama administration is backing. He agrees that the move would quell domestic and international pressure, along with drastically increasing transparency. In particular, the U.S. government cannot legally acknowledge covert actions undertaken by the CIA. The failure to answer the growing demands for transparency increases the risk that U.S. drone strikes will be curtailed or eliminated due to mounting domestic or international