Drone Argumentative Essay
While it is often said that drones are extremely intelligent machines, they can also be extremely dangerous and deadly. There are certain rules that apply when in use of these U.S. military drones. Yet, there are always ways to improve drones no matter how capable they are in U.S. enacted attacks. Drones, often used for U.S. military attacks, should most definitely have stricter regulations for when and how to be operated as well because of how costly they are.
Intrinsically, no matter how utilitarian they are, drones can be highly exorbitant to the United States government. Drone prices can range approximately from $5 million for a Predator to $14.4 million for a reaper. In consonance with “Background on Drones,” From ProCon.org, “The Department of Defense’s fiscal year 2012 budget estimates included nearly $5 billion for drone research, development, and procurement (around 1% of the overall DoD budget), with additional funding that is classified.” Since drone research and development is extremely costly, the U.S. military should act more wisely to ensure that drones do not cause unnecessary damage. There are over 7,000 drones currently in use by the Pentagon while the CIA is in control of about 30 drones. The drones that
…show more content…
As expressed in the graphic, every country (with the exception of the United States) has a much larger percentage of disapproval than the percentage of approval. For instance, as the U.S. has a low disapproval percentage of 28%, Egypt has an exceptionally high 85% disapproval. In countries throughout the world, drone strikes will do more harm than good. A drone strike could have an extremely negative impact on any type of life. Granted, drone strikes should be enacted more carefully to ensure that civilians are not accidentally
Those who oppose the use of drones in warfare claims it violates international law. They believe that the strikes have no justification therefore violating international law. (Moskowitz) They claim that the benefits of the usage of drones do not outweigh the cons of using drones. The opposition claim that civilian casualties make up 2-10% of total fatalities from drones firing on wrong targets or the civilians are collateral damage.(Globalresearch) The dissentient think it causes more unrest than peace in some regions due to the collateral damage caused to buildings and civilians and is another sign of American arrogance. (ABC News)Even though their points are valid, these reasons do not warrant the cease of drone activity.
Controversy has plagued America’s presence in the Middle East and America’s usage of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) contributes vastly to this controversy. Their usefulness and ability to keep allied troops out of harm’s reach is hardly disputed. However, their presence in countries that are not at war with America, such as Pakistan and Yemen, is something contested. People that see the implications of drone use are paying special attention to the civilian casualty count, world perspective, and the legality of drone operations in non-combative states. The use of drone technology in the countries of Yemen and Pakistan are having negative consequences. In a broad spectrum, unconsented drone strikes are illegal according to the laws of armed conflict, unethical, and are imposing a moral obligation upon those who use them. These issues are all of great importance and need to be addressed. Their legality is also something of great importance and begins with abiding to the Laws of Armed Conflict.
“Government’s targeted killing of three U.S. citizens in two drone strikes, both in Yemen, far from any armed conflict zone.” (“Targeted Killings”). Drones or unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is the technology that has taken war and fighting to a brand new level. The technology is believed to lower the use of troops and life loss in the wars that are happening today. Can that same technology be considered dangerous? Or are the side effects something that can simply be considered a small cost for something better? Drones demonstrate a growth in technological advances , and also the world. Although as brilliant this technology might be, it brings a threat to the people.
In the article, “Is Obama’s Drone War Moral?”, Matt Peterson argues that the lack of transparency surrounding the number of drone strikes and resulting casualties undermines Obama’s administration efforts to justify the targeted killing program. He states that the administration refusal to detail individual strikes makes it impossible for the public to assess the morality of the program. He attempts to support his points by examining the standards for carrying out violence in self-defense and by explaining how the policies and practices put in place by Obama’s administration fails to uphold these standards. This paper will evaluate the strength and weakness of Mr. Peterson’s analysis to determine whether the conclusions the author draw are
Imagine sleeping in your own bed knowing that a few houses down the street lived a terrorist who was planning on doing something extreme. Would you be okay with a drone strike where he lived knowing it could possibly kill you and your family as well as many other innocent people? What about knowing that it hit the target and that there was one less terrorist who could cause harm to innocent people as well? The pro-drone strike article “Why Drones Work: The Case for Washington 's Weapon of Choice (Byman). In contrast the anti-drone strike article argues, “Drone strikes are an unethical violation of human rights” by (Friedersdorf). That drones do not just affect targets but also communities and all the people who live here.
It’s important to acknowledge that yes, drone strikes have brought about a completely different type of warfare, one which the original thinkers behind just war theory probably could not fathom. As put by Yemeni activist Farea al-Muslimi, “When there is a normal war, people can hide, or they can stay away from the military – they can make choices and be careful, but when drones come, you just don’t know when you’ll be next. The fear is incredible.” Drone usage comes at a great cost; the psychological effect of constantly being on guard on Yemen’s civilians are perhaps a new aspect of war that should be considered when considering the behaviors considered ‘just’ during
Military drones do have purposes other than being a weapon; the devices can be used to deliver medical aid and other humanitarian supplies. Military drones can aid in investigation of IHL/LOAC violations, search and rescue operations, reconnaissance and surveillance. Through transparency, over sight and consequences for those who decide to go against established proce-dure, The United States can create via customary law the manner these military drones will be used and still adhere to IHL/LOAC. The question, are military drones legal depends on what their mission is, how they are equipped and whom you ask.
In contrast to this, drones strikes violate the authority of the counties they attack, most attacks are carried out without the authorization of the country .Pakistani Prime Sharif said that the "use of drones is not only a continued violation of our territorial integrity but also detrimental to our resolve at efforts in eliminating terrorism from our country... I would therefore stress the need for an end to drone attacks."( Anderson ). How are terrorist groups sopost to respect us when the example set is that invading other countries is complete okay. Not to mention that the fury by them and the rest of the country could lead someday to a devastating war or a massive attack. Adding to this United Nations ' Human Rights Chief has called US drone strikes a “violation of sovereignty” and have forced for investigations into the legality of the attacks. More of a reason for them to be remove from our
Many other people opposed drones because of what they saw on the news. Drones may have engraved on people minds that they are bloody weapons used to kill people which makes people see drones in a different light. That is why people all around the world oppose the use of drones. There are some large models that frighten people because they look like aircraft and nobody knows what they would do as they fly over our houses. Unfortunately, there is always an exception for those few people who ignore common sense and do dangerous things like lighting the drone on fire and seeing how long it would fly.
The main reason for the uprising of drones in the military was to prevent casualties of military personnel that would be in the battlefield during the war on terrorism. Using drones in order to spy on enemies has been proven to be much safer than sending in human spies, as their lives are put at risk when trekking into enemy territories. However, drones have also proven to be very costly for the government to buy and use, being that they can be shot down at any time by enemy or terrorist groups, and though much money is lost from manufacturing the drone, there will be no humans injured in the spy mission. Despite the many uses of drones in the military, studies have shown that the U.S. Government has spent nearly $2.9 Billion on drone research and development during the fiscal year 2016 (Smith, p.4). Because of the ever-increasing price of drone development for both businesses and the military, the price margins for market drones continue to increase in worth, limiting the availability of drones to the general
Over the course of the 21st century, the United States’ use of unmanned aerial vehicles (also commonly referred to as drones) has increased substantially. In the aftermath of the attacks on the World Trade Center, the United States’ government began using military strategies incorporating drones to eliminate terrorists and other threatening extremist groups. Multiple positive and negative factors arise with the discussion of this topic, and has proven to be controversial to the American population. Overall, drones have demonstrated to be extremely useful with combatting terrorists and should continue being implemented in the military. Drones are powerful weapons that provide stealthy and lethal attacks on enemies of the United States.
Drones are the Future One of the latest and most controversial topics that has risen over the past five to ten years is whether or not drones should be used as a means of war, surveillance, and delivery systems. Common misconceptions usually lead to people’s opposition to the use of drones which is the reason it is important for people to know the facts about how and why they are used. Wartime capabilities will provide for fewer casualties and more effective strikes. New delivery and surveillance systems in Africa, the United Air Emirates and the United States will cut costs and increase efficiency across the board. Rules and regulations on drones may be difficult to enforce, but will not be impossible to achieve.
...only imagine how hazardous this world we live in become. Amongst countries this can become an international competition to make drones to be used as a factor. When other nations see this particular country is using some type of technology to improve their military system then they would want part of it as well. The drone practice can cause to escalate if other countries adopt to this new technology for their own reason of protection. There will be no turning back because the government of that country would take advantage of these drones to use it towards the citizens instead of using for “terrorist”. The use of these drones is definitely immoral and unethical but some may argue that the of drones as protection against “terrorist” even though as we can see it kills innocent people, creates more terrorists, causes psychological disorders, and violates privacy. (Cole)
Living in the digital age where we enjoy the various fruits of latest technological tools and advancements, then at the same time we cannot escape from their hidden or apparent harms. Also, it is a fact that some gadgets supported by these technological advancements are much capable to bring destruction and disaster then construction and convenience. The same goes for the Drone Technology which since past 200 years is being used to create turbulence at the global level. It has proved to be a powerful investigator and bomber at the same time. Drones are specifically associated with military actions and the countries having used them for surveillance purposes include UK, USA, Italy, Japan, Austria, Australia etc. The list of victim counties or nations is much bigger in contrast. Some prominent victims of Drone Air Strikes include Congo, Venice, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. However, it is also an undeniable fact that the massive production and usage of Drones got multiplied in the 21st century.
Every day the world is evolving, different types of technology are being made for different kinds of uses. Some people in the army want to use drones to carry out different types of missions, in other places in the world. Using will help soldiers carry out missions, quicker, easier, and much more efficient. 60% of Americans agree on the usage of drones for army purposes. Many people say that the army should not use drones because drones will increase the number of terrorists, drones can kill and injure innocent civilians, and that drones will “...allow the United States to become emotionally disconnected from the horrors of war” (ℙ8, Drones). There are many advantages with having drones aid military bases, because