You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Terror Networks
As drone monopoly frays, Obama seeks global rules
2013-03-17
President Barack Obama, who vastly expanded U.S. drone strikes against terrorism suspects overseas under the cloak of secrecy, is now openly seeking to influence global guidelines for their use as China and other countries pursue their own drone programs.

The United States was the first to use unmanned aircraft fitted with missiles to kill militant suspects in the years after the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.

But other countries are catching up. China's interest in unmanned aerial vehicles was displayed in November at an air show . According to state-run newspaper Global Times, China had considered conducting its first drone strike to kill a suspect in the 2011 murder of 13 Chinese sailors, but authorities decided they wanted the man alive so they could put him on trial.

"People say what's going to happen when the Chinese and the Russians get this technology? The president is well aware of those concerns and wants to set the standard for the international community on these tools," said Tommy Vietor, until earlier this month a White House spokesman.
No, he just wants to have a green light to do as he pleases. That's business as usual for him. He's petulant enough to want to create problems for others, but he won't dispute drone use with China and Russia. They can do what they want as long as they don't harsh his mellow...
As U.S. ground wars end - over in Iraq, drawing to a close in Afghanistan - surgical counterterrorism targeting has become "the new normal," Vietor said.

Amid a debate within the U.S. government, it is not yet clear what new standards governing targeted killings and drone strikes the White House will develop for U.S. operations or propose for global rules of the road.
The rule is whatever Champ wants. And whatever 'rules' we come out with to bind the hands of a president will be issued on January 19, 2017...
Obama's new position is not without irony. The White House kept details of drone operations - which remain largely classified - out of public view for years when the U.S. monopoly was airtight.

That stance is just now beginning to change, in part under pressure from growing public and Congressional discomfort with the drone program. U.S. lawmakers have demanded to see White House legal justifications for targeting U.S. citizens abroad, and to know whether Obama thinks he has the authority to use drones to kill Americans on U.S. soil.
Posted by:tipper

#2  HHMMM, HHHMMMM, "Globalist" but N-O-T
"Nationalist" aka "Domestic" rules for OWG + GFU, etc. Americans = Amerikans???
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2013-03-17 23:47  

#1  I certainly think that global leaders need to think about weaponized drones eventually being available to "common citizens" - citizens who might entertain the thought "Well, if that tyrant's policy is that he can take me out with a drone on his own discretion, it may be prudent for me to look into taking him out first, with my won drone."

And - for the right popular and patriotic cause - I'm sure that "crowd-funding" might be available to help defray the expenses of - let's say - a swarm of a dozen fist-sized, high speed drones, each bearing a golf ball sized payload on mercury fulminate, and programmed to track down someone such as a golfer on a golf course - to pick a purely hypothetical example.

Posted by: Lone Ranger   2013-03-17 08:04  

00:00