Drones and Hellfire Missiles represent a growth industry, creating more and more “militants” to fight and ensuring protracted conflict cum protracted profiteering. This seems to be part of what the U.S. commander in Afghanistan calls the “new normal,” guaranteeing, as former Gen. Petraeus predicted, a war that “our grandchildren will have to keep fighting.”
President Eisenhower no doubt is rolling over in his grave. He warned us about the Military Industrial Complex; we let it happen; now it is driving our participation in ongoing wars and inspiring new ones. Watch out, Iran.
Drones have as much chance of being effective instruments in stopping “militants, insurgents,” as B-52s had in Vietnam. They are widely perceived as cowardly, as well as indiscriminate in the death and destruction they deal.
The drones’ Hellfire missiles are now firing with precision accuracy at targets served up by very dubious “intelligence” that are paragons of imprecision. Their use against targets in Somalia, Yemen, as well as Pakistan and Afghanistan has stirred worldwide derision.
Over the last few days I have been invited to comment on all this.
By CNN? You ask. What planet have you been living on?
PressTV is sponsored by Iran. Do they have axe to grind? Of course. Can they use what is happening to criticize and isolate the U.S.? Of course than can. Can the truth hurt the U.S.? Sure.
It can also set us free. It’s the only thing that can.
Here are URLs referencing a couple of recent interviews, followed by URL to a Washington Post story on how we can deliver Hellfire onto teenagers, too. (Sadly, it does not seem possible to blame that killing on imprecise targeting information.) Below the WaPo story, I paste in a glorious example of how our disingenuous diplomats are trying to defend the indefensible. One is left wondering if, beneath their glib exterior, they are even aware of how transparently ridiculous they seem to a world that, up until this Century, was often more inclined than not toward giving official U.S. spokespeople — and U.S. policy — the benefit of the doubt.
1- DRONE WARFARE: The Implications – Ray interviewed with 2 others, “War Creating More Enemies for U.S.” 23 min. (10.17.11)
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/205118.html
2- Ray via Skype on drone strikes in Muslim world (10.16.11)