Death From Above

            Our world today in no way resembles what it used to be. Just by looking around, one would undoubtedly see items that had not even been imagined a century ago. Ever since the industrial revolution, technological advancements have continuously been developed, increasing the world’s standard of living. Technology can do us wonders; however, if put in the wrong hands, it can also be used in ways that could potentially be detrimental to society by taking away the basic human rights of man. A recent issue involving this concerns the use of predator drones in the United States military.

            A drone is a robotic, unmanned, miniature airplane controlled from far away that is used to both spy on people and kill them. International law is very specific when it comes to who a military may target through the use of drones. The only people that the Unites States are legally allowed to euthanize are those that are either combatants or are participating in the hostilities of the war. In the year 2012, there were two major cases where the United States used a predator drone to kill innocent civilians. The first one in July targeted a small village and ended up killing 18 laborers, involving a 14 year old boy. In October, there was a 68 year old woman who was struck by a missile in front of her grandchildren while working in her field. Amnesty International researched these cases and found that none of these individuals killed had ties to the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, or any other terrorist organization. These are only two of the many cases where innocent people have been denied the most basic right to life by the use of predator drones.

Throughout 2012, there were 45 predator attacks launched. Most of these were successful, yet there were also other cases like the ones previously mentioned. Are these “mishaps” justified by the majority of these strikes being successful? I say absolutely not. As a nation that serves as a role model for the rest of the world, the United States should pay more attention to the human rights of those in the war-torn areas of the Middle-East and treat them as human. Not everyone who looks Middle-Eastern or practices Islam is a terrorist, so we need to take a step back and make sure we are giving everybody their rights until it is positively confirmed whether they are one or not. These predator strikes have been taking away basic human rights from completely harmless individuals. Even though we believe that all are innocent until proven guilty in our own country, there are no trials conducted when a drone strikes and kills in another. To me, it is quite hypocritical. All that occurs is instant, unexpected death from above. I personally believe it is wrong to carry out such missions because the basic rights that America was founded upon are being denied to those that are targeted. Regardless of where you are in this world, people are people and they should be treated as such.

"News." USA Must Be Held to Account for Drone Killings in Pakistan. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 July 2014.

 

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/usa-must-be-held-account-drone-killings-pakistan-2013-10-22