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Bureau of Labour wanks: Trump, Obama and the future of targeted killing
[UK's Bureau of Investigative Journalism] Barack Obama’s foreign policy legacy is often discussed in terms of things he didn’t do: intervene in Syria, reset with Russia, get out of Afghanistan.

In one area however, Obama developed and expanded a defining policy architecture which his successor Donald Trump now inherits: the ability to kill suspected terrorists anywhere without US personnel having to leave their bases.
"Order up some more lawn chairs!"
While his administration lauded the drone programme for being so "surgical and precise" it could take out the enemy without putting "innocent men, women and children in danger", human rights groups lambasted it for doing just that ‐ hundreds of civilians were reported killed outside active battlefields during Obama’s eight years in power.

As his presidency progressed, Obama put restraints in place aimed at reducing civilian casualties ‐ but experts are now worried those limitations will be swept away by Trump in favour of an "anything goes to get the bad guys" approach.

Armed drones were first used under George W Bush. But it was Obama who dramatically increased their use. Responding to evolving militant threats and the greater availability of remote piloting technology, Obama ordered ten times more counter-terror strikes than his predecessor over the course of his term.
Lengthy, bitchy, and arrives at no conclusions, recommendations, or solutions. Proceed at your own risk.
Posted by: Besoeker 2017-01-20
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=478963