Unarmed Aerial Vehicles – A Foreign

Policy NightmareBy: Michael Sussman

Introduction

• Unarmed Aerial Vehicles (UAVS or drones) – Used for remote sensing, commercial aerial surveillance, and airstrikes.

• Over-exploited as a foreign policy tactic• Create issues of morality, strategic error, and economic greed

View the Israeli “Ghost” in action!http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=LlMRFLDFNw0

Military Tactics - US

• Obama has implemented drone strikes in Yemen and Pakistan to eliminate members from Al-Qaeda

• Strikes have killed at least 2,200 citizens as collateral damage

• Creates a moral and strategic issue

Drone Market

• The United Arab Emirates recently bought $200 million of drones from US

• Israel is the world’s largest exporter of drones

• China can produce drones cheaply and efficiently

View the above Heron – TP (Israel) in action

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2fpqaPLj3U

Drone Comparison

Country Purpose Flight Duration

Lethal (Yes/No)

Predator XP United States/United

Arab Emirates

Intelligence, surveillance

missions

Long No

Ghost Israel Infantry ops, stealth

surveillance

Short No

Pterodactyl China Reconnaissance missions, airstrikes

Long Yes

1

1 – Long: >2 hours

Drones as Acts of War

• China will attack enemies of the state, even on foreign soil

• North Korean leader, Kim-Jong Un, continues to launch nuclear tests and threaten the US and North Korea, despite sanctions from UN security council.

Conclusion

• Drones are cheap and effective war tools that save the lives of human pilots

• However, if abused as a foreign policy tactics, we could live in a world where countries enter wars more quickly and easily.

Works Cited

• Bergen, Peter. "A Dangerous New World of Drones." CNN. Cable News Network, 08 Oct. 2012. Web. 15 Mar. 2013.•  • Chance, David. "North Korea's Kim Supervises Drone Attack Drill." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 20 Mar. 2013. Web. 1 Apr. 2013.•  • Cole, Chris. "The Globalization of Drone Warfare." Global Research. Global Research, 20 Mar. 2013. Web. 2 Apr. 2013.• Deger, Allison. "Israeli Drone ‘mega Deals’ Export the Occupation World-wide." Mondoweiss. Mondoweiss, 14 Jan. 2012. Web. 25 Mar. 2013.•  • Dolan, Eric. "House Democrats Demand Obama Release ‘full Legal Basis’ for Drone Strikes | The Raw Story." Raw Story. Rawstory, 11 Mar. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2013.•  • Fisher, Max. "Photo from Kim Jong Un’s War Room Reveals North Korea’s ‘U.S. Mainland Strike Plan." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2013. Web. 1 Apr. 2013.•  • Germanos, Andrea. "United Arab Emirates Stocks Up on Nearly $200 Million in US Drones | Common Dreams." Common Dreams. Common Dreams, 25 Feb. 2013. Web. 24 Mar.

2013.•  • Halliday, Josh. "North Korea Profile." BBC News. BBC, 04 Sept. 2013. Web. 12 Apr. 2013.•  • Kahn, Taimur. "Drone War Goes Global as Demand Soars." Drone War Goes Global as Demand Soars. Abu Dhabi Media, 22 Feb. 2013. Web. 2 Apr. 2013.•  • Moss, Trefor. "Here Come…China’s Drones." The Diplomat. N.p., 2 Mar. 2013. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.•  • Press, Associated. "North Korea Says It's in State of War with South Korea." Fox News. FOX News Network, 30 Mar. 2013. Web. 8 Apr. 2013.•  • Sales, Ben. "As World’s Largest Exporter of Drones, Israel Looks to Transform Battlefield." JTA. JTA, 4 Mar. 2013. Web. 30 Mar. 2013.•  • Waldman, Paul. "Game of Drones." The American Prospect. The American Prospect, 14 Feb. 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2013.•  • Wing, Nick. "Obama Administration Must Release Full Report On 'Legal Rationale' For Drone Strikes, House Democrats Say." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 12

Mar. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2013.