Running head: DRONES: THE UNFRESEEN CASUALTIES

The University of Texas El Paso

Professor Falcon
Adrian Almanza
RWS 1302

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Drones: The Unforeseen Casualties
Since the beginning of President Bushs term, The United States has implemented the use
of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), more commonly known as drones, in places such as Iraq,
Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen. Drones capabilities range from being able to stay in the air
for surveillance for up to 48 hours, to carrying out a precise strike using an arsenal of air-toground missiles. Drones aid in the fight against terrorism by reducing the amount of soldiers
killed in action in war, and also reducing the overall cost of having troops on the ground.
However, looking into the countries in which these drones have been used in tells a much
different story; the people of these countries not being able to live comfortably in their own
homes or carry about their everyday activities for fear of dying as a result of collateral damage.

Innocent men, women and children all across these countries live in constant fear. Many
parents pull their kids from school so they do not congregate in large groups. People quit their
jobs, lose their homes and become homeless. The United States is after punishing militants in
these regions, but all that is left behind is horror, sadness, and pain. Some have their homes
destroyed in the blink of an eye, homes which have been passed down generations in their
family. In 2013, Peter Schaapveld, a London based forensic psychologist, conducted research on
the psychological impact of drone strikes in Yemen. He concluded that over 92 percent of the
Yemeni population sample he examined had some form of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),
with children being the demographic most significantly affected. This is a population that by
any figure is hugely suffering, Schaapveld said. The fear of drones, he added, is traumatizing
an entire generation. (Salama, 2014).

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For Americans,
it is easy to keep this
issue out of mind
because there are no
troops on ground and
they are not directly
affected by it. The US
government knows this
and it only aids them in
keeping these operations a secret as they have been doing it in the past. In recent years,
information has become more readily available, in The Guardian, a British newspaper, published
an online article analyzing the data that a human-rights group, Reprive, compiled from the data
they researched from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. The analysis is an estimate of the
total damage these drones have caused these nations. In Pakistan, 24 men were specifically
targeted, however, 874 lost their lives as a result of the targeted strikes of the 24 men. Among the
dead, 142 of those were children, meaning numerous strikes were unsuccessful even though the
media characterizes drone strikes as precise. In Yemen, 17 named men were targeted; the result
of these strikes killed 273 people (Ackerman, 2014). Once again a clear example of how these
strikes are not as effective as we believe they are. If we compare the data on these two countries
that means that only 28% of the strikes were successful in killing their intended target, that is of
course assuming the targets are in fact dead.

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Drones have been an incredible advancement in technology, unmanned aerial planes that
diminish the need for troops on ground resulting in less lives lost for American soldiers. Of
course, the lives of soldiers are incredibly important but when the trade off for that is terrorizing
an entire generation of people in separate countries, something else must be done. This issue
must be solved under diplomatic review and not under means of violence. The United Nations
have been an essential tool in solving international issues since 1945, these nations must come
together to make a solution for all of these militant groups plaguing the area. The United States
cannot be the world police; therefore the problem must be resolved with changing policies either
in The United States alone or as a whole within The United Nations. Drone strikes have been
largely unsupervised by the receiving countries; the US and other countries must work together
to eliminate the militants if drone strikes are to remain in use. For example, when the US wants
to strike inside of Pakistan, Pakistani officials are allowed to decide to proceed with the strike or
to decline the request by the US. Thousands of innocent lives and minds are being put at risk
every day that the US continues the strikes on these countries. The US must work together with
countries to solve the pressing issue.

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REFERENCES

Ackerman, S. (2014). 41 men targeted but1,147 people killed: US drone

Strikes - the facts on the ground.
Salama, V. (2014, April 14). Death From Above: How American Drone Strikes
Are Devastating Yemen.