"A War in the Shadows: The Obama Administration`s Use of Drones in Pakistan (original) (raw)
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A History of U.S. Drone Strikes on Pakistan and Its Implications
Historical Research Letter, 2014
Although the history of U.S. drone strikes on Pakistan is not so long, which was began since 2004 and is still continue but it have complicated narrative. Strikes by drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) are the key tools used by the U.S. in "War on Terror" to combat with Al Qaida and Taliban particularly in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Though the history and narrative of drone strikes in Pakistan has been examined by various scholars and historians but numerous questions are still obscure. In particular, what is the U.S. drone policy towards drone strikes under the umbrella of counterterrorism? Which was the U.S. drone strikes legality towards Pakistan? What were the drone strikes implications on Pakistan from 2004 to present date? Answering these questions, not only will the history of drone and beginning of strikes be examined in this study but also intends to analyze the narrative of drone strikes in Pakistan. The study has been distributed into three parts. In first part of study, we will focus on drone technology and historical overview of drone strikes. Second part will be discussed on U.S. policies towards drone strikes and it's implicit for international law, especially in the realm of law of global human rights; Legitimacy of United States drone attacks in Pakistan and Pak-U.S. internal narrative on drone strikes. About the drone strikes effects (from 2004 to present) on Pakistan (i.e. drone strikes and terrorists, revenge by militants, its economical, psychological, social and political effects on Pakistan) will be discussed in third part of study.
The Drone Attacks and its Impact on Pakistan
Drone attacks in Pakistan are one of the most controversial issues in the current circumstances between Pakistan and United States. The covert drone strikes killed terrorist but at the same tremendously the lives of innocent civilians. This Study will analyze the effects of drone's strikes in Pakistan. The will use the data on drone strikes in Pakistan from 2004-2013 to locate the positive and negative impacts brought by drones Objectives . To assess the drones legality.
Drone Warfare-A Critical Appraisal
2013
The US-led global war on terror, the US Af-Pak strategy, the phenomenon of terrorism and the employment of predator drones by the US administration in various parts of the world and particularly in Pakistan has drawn criticism on drone warfare. The introduction of armed drones to kill individuals or destroy targets inside other countries' territories has raised various important questions of the rationale, necessity, targeting strategy and mechanism of drone operations. Moreover, the important notions of state sovereignty, monopoly over use of force and territorial integrity have also been put to test by the use of force in the form of armed drones, against individuals inside other states, without the formal declaration of wars. In addition, whether global war on terror is to be conducted and fought inside only a few selected states or anywhere where the terrorists are actually or perceived to be based or not. Lastly, the technological, psychological, moral, social and legal imp...
The Revolution in Military Affairs had an important role in providing the United States Armed Forces the technical instruments necessary to conduct high-risky operations in the context of Irregular Warfare. The development of these instruments, such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), allowed the emergence of a discourse of surgical and lean wars by the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations, whose legitimacy of the interventions were related to the accuracy and technical superiority of the UAVs. Focusing in the case of the U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan, this article seeks to debate the legal limits of the employment of these instruments. Despite the supposed accuracy and visual capacity of the UAVs, we argue that there are several information on the deaths of civilians, and legal limitations in the International Humanitarian Law, that constrain the employment of this instrument, and illegitimate the argument of surgical war.
(Report) - CIA Drone Strikes in Pakistan: History, Perception and Future
Center for Research and Security Studies, 2017
The report discusses the background of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)-operated US drone strikes in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), along with how the success of the first strike and the confusion surrounding it gave the US an unmanned option to target alleged terror heads in the region.Since the first strike in 2004 which targeted Taliban leader Nek Muhammad Wazir, the US has conducted over 400 strikes in various areas of FATA. These strikes on the one hand have resulted in the elimination of high profile targets, while on the other, have contributed to civilian casualties. There are conflicting opinions and sentiments on the issue both abroad and in Pakistan, with arguments that such strikes have led to a spike in extremism and terrorism in FATA. The primary survey conducted in this report suggests that drones remain a complex issue with competing narratives. There are also a significant number of respondents from FATA who believe that drones not only eliminate terrorists, but are also the least of three evils: military operations, Taliban and drones.Finally, the report recommends that if the government of Pakistan has a tacit drone deal with the US government and believes drones are effective in FATA, it needs to formulate an effective and clear narrative in order to give clarity.
Current Anthropology, 2019
US drone warfare in Waziristan has been legitimated through a discourse of military humanism that claims very low rates of civilian casualties and a concern to spare the lives of the innocent. In practice, in concert with the Pakistani government’s counterinsurgency campaign and the tactics of the Taliban, drone strikes in Waziristan have killed substantial numbers of civilians and, in a manner reminiscent of the effects of death squads in Central and Latin America, have torn apart Waziri civil society while creating a culture of terror. “Drone essentialism” (a false conviction that drones are inevitably used in a way that minimizes suffering) has concealed a process of “ethical slippage” through which drone operators relaxed their operational practices. This process of slippage enabled drones to become terror weapons even as they functioned at the level of discourse as alibis—signifiers of discriminate force. One task of anthropological analysis is to prize open the contradictions inherent in this situation.
United States’ Unlawful Drone Strikes and Damages Caused to Humanity: A Case Study of Pakistan
UUM Journal of Legal Studies
This paper contributes significantly through suggestions to overcome the problem created by the disastrous US drone strikes in Pakistan. This paper evaluates incidences of the United States’ combat drone strikes in Pakistan and the damage caused to innocent people. It seeks to determine possible violations of international laws and the extent to which these strikes diminish the sovereignty of Pakistan. After the incident of 9/11, the use of combat drones in armed conflicts among states, non-state actors, disruptive groups and organisations has increased and expanded. Combat drones are controlled by operators who depend for their primary sources of information on cameras and sensors to determine their targets. Drone strikes lack identification processes causing many innocent people to be killed or injured. Drone strikes launched in non-conflict areas also increase the concerns about illegitimate interference in a state’s territorial sovereignty and violations of international laws. I...