Its hard to go home to one's family after wiping out someone else's.
If you do something long enough, the world will learn to accept it eventually.
The book is short very factual account of the drone industry, lobbying and narrative in the USA. Narrative-for is pretty powerful, as drones provide an easy and effective manner of engaging with an allusive enemy hidden among the ordinary, the argument-against is very compelling as well, with all the civilian deaths and ill-will generated against the USA every time another 'successful' drone strikes somewhere in the badlands of Pakistan or Somalia. Even if most of the collateral goes unreported the resulting anger directed against the West is felt every time another foreigner is killed in reprisal attack.
But there is one aspect which also needs to be considered in the drone narrative, that is the delight felt by the locals each time a real terrorist is killed by a drone strike. Because lets not forget that these terrorists are pretty nasty bullys who have been disrupting the locals working class people in areas with almost non-existing government control, leaving drone strikes as the only real outcome for any known bully. The recent killing of Taliban number 2 leader in Pakistan is a great case in point. Apparently the number one and number two leaders had broken apart prompting the number one to find a convenient mole to convey the location of number 2 leader to the drone operators, who obliged him by not only getting rid of his sworn enemy but also made him a pretty rich with the reward money.
Ways of the world are indeed strange.......
If you do something long enough, the world will learn to accept it eventually.
The book is short very factual account of the drone industry, lobbying and narrative in the USA. Narrative-for is pretty powerful, as drones provide an easy and effective manner of engaging with an allusive enemy hidden among the ordinary, the argument-against is very compelling as well, with all the civilian deaths and ill-will generated against the USA every time another 'successful' drone strikes somewhere in the badlands of Pakistan or Somalia. Even if most of the collateral goes unreported the resulting anger directed against the West is felt every time another foreigner is killed in reprisal attack.
But there is one aspect which also needs to be considered in the drone narrative, that is the delight felt by the locals each time a real terrorist is killed by a drone strike. Because lets not forget that these terrorists are pretty nasty bullys who have been disrupting the locals working class people in areas with almost non-existing government control, leaving drone strikes as the only real outcome for any known bully. The recent killing of Taliban number 2 leader in Pakistan is a great case in point. Apparently the number one and number two leaders had broken apart prompting the number one to find a convenient mole to convey the location of number 2 leader to the drone operators, who obliged him by not only getting rid of his sworn enemy but also made him a pretty rich with the reward money.
Ways of the world are indeed strange.......
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