US Drones in Yemen - Essay Example

01 May US drone attacks in Yemen only increase the terrorist threat to the West rather than diminish it. Discuss. It is a reality hidden from none presently that the US drone attacks are devastating a couple of Muslim nations far worse than imaginable. This essay will discuss the deathly effects of these unjustified and illogical attacks which are causing more harm than good in specific reference to Yemen. The drone attacks in Yemen started way back in 2002 during Bush administration soon after the tragic incident of 9/11 and continue to plague the sanctity of this nation even today. It is quite hard to believe and yet a painful reality how badly compromised the situation of these disadvantaged nations like Yemen is. It is not justified for a financially and economically very stable country with a long line of modern warfare to take advantage of another country’s disadvantaged position. However, sadly, this is exactly what the US has been doing for more than a decade now in the name of extricating terrorism from the face of the earth. These attacks could have been considered effectively beneficial even were they really generating any good in the countries in which these attacks take place or in the US from where these attacks are planned. In contrast, the gigantic proportions of hatred spurred by this US policy in the public for the Americans and the multitude of terrorists born with each single attack strongly advise against continuing these attacks. This essay principally seeks to explain how the US drone attacks are potentially damaging in nature by comprehensively discussing some major effects produced by it and identified in latest research. It will also argue that the US should concentrate focus on giving plenty of political and economic aid to Yemen instead of making it politically and economically more dependent. Drone attacks were started back in 2002 with the Yemeni government’s seal of approval according to the US officials (Almasmari). Small nations like Yemen are economically so unprivileged and their weaponry is so meager that they are really not in a position to stand up against the US when a policy is to be implemented to control terrorism. Their officials without acknowledging the public’s viewpoint agreed on letting America commit drone attacks in their country which indicates an absolute absence of democracy. The Yemeni nation is strictly against American drones, but it holds no power whatsoever to stop this destruction from happening which has become a daily routine now. When the nation is not acknowledged by the government, the outsiders become more confident and invasion picks momentum. American drones simply translate into invasion of Yemen because the people of this country abhor America and American nation for this excruciatingly painful calamity. Research suggests that because drone attacks take place on basis of suspicion alone, so instead of “calling these targeted killings, they should probably be seen as speculative murders” (Woodward). The US nation for most part is completely oblivious to the sufferings of the Yemeni nation and no other Muslim country around the globe seems to care about this waste of humanity either. It is the lack of unity among the Muslim countries also which foments the US policy concerning drone attacks. The American drones are basically unmanned missile attacks which are controlled through a remote control from thousands of miles away somewhere in the US. Muslims around the globe think of it as a video game really for the US military, but a death sentence for the people of Yemen. The attacks which initially were few and far between have now advanced into a regular occurrence which is an absolute shame. Terrorism, on the other hand, continues steadily and calmly. This is because efforts are not being invested in the right area which is related to provision of handsome warfare and economic aid to Yemen. Rather, the current strategies focus more on crippling the poor nation far worse than ever before. Instead of giving more aid to Yemen to make it politically and economically stable, America “plans to begin supplementing US military drones with CIA drones” (Almasmari). This is because according to the US officials, the political chaos generated in Yemen as an aftermath of drone strikes has severely compromised the country’s ability to control terrorists. This is like pouring more oil over fire. However, the positive role played by America has also been identified in a fairly large body of research. For example, it is suggested in one study that America has actively participated in aiding Yemen always. For example, US assistance to Yemen in 2012 alone surpassed $337 million and over half of that money, which is $178 million, was reserved for political stability in the country (Brenann). Apart from US aid, foreign aid received by Yemen that same year remained $6.4 billion. But, a closer look reveals that so much damage has been done by drone attacks in Yemen that some million dollars given by America cannot even begin to repair the damage caused. It is declared by the Yemen’s government also that “it will ultimately need $11.9 billion in foreign aid to support the countrys economic recovery over a two-year period” (Saleh cited in Villarreal). The anticipation of death is even worse than death itself. The Yemeni nation senses a drone attack way before it happens because the air starts buzzing with the ominous sound of drones. Everyone starts fearing for life that may or may not soon end. It is such a pity that masses of valuable human beings are being treated like insects just because half a dozen notorious people are suspected, and not even proved, of being present among them. The ominous sound of drones circulating overhead is a terrible reminder of death and American supremacy which can be heard and felt by everyone across cities and villages of Yemen. The drone is basically a robot plane which operates on secret intelligence which is often flawed and can never be considered foolproof. On grounds of such flawed secret intelligence, the US government permits its military to illogically kill hundreds of people on routine basis. For example, very recently “in December 2013, a drone strike killed 15 Yemenis traveling in a wedding party” (Sharp) when the intended target, according to the US officials, was one of Al-Qaeda leaders. The value of these humans is not more than crawling insects because they are in fact treated even worse than the latter just because they lack resources and cannot fight back. Their bodies are ripped into pieces in front of their loved ones and still, drone attacks continue in the name of fighting terrorism. Research suggests that the intelligence codes upon which these robot planes act may or may not be true, but that does not matter in the least. However, if one poor Yemeni person unfortunately happens to be at a wrong place at a wrong time, “the chaotic buzzing above sharpens into the death-herald of an incoming missile” (Salama). New reports come up every day documenting the human cost of merciless drone attacks in Yemen, but no effect takes place on the US and the human massacre continues. While drone strikes are hugely advantageous for the US itself because resources are saved which are otherwise required for keeping troops on the ground, this abstract military campaign is hugely disadvantageous for the Yemeni mind which no one seems to care about or even acknowledge. Inside this Yemeni mind is a cascade of depression, paranoia, anger, and anxiety flowing. It does not take long for many such traumatic minds to transform into minds of terrorists because in terrorism in the end do they see the only chance to vent out their frustration. Research also claims that “every Yemen drone strike creates 40 to 60 new enemies” (Khoury cited in Sledge). Millions of Yemeni people are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and paranoia of the worst kind. Terrorists are born out of drone attacks and not eliminated which is a brutal reality that should be realized by the US. The anticipation of death is not limited to some minutes, but research suggests that “drones hover over an area for hours, sometimes days and weeks” (Alwazir cited in Salama). Millions are suffering from sleepless nights. This leads to short-tempers and interferes with their ability to concentrate at work. A vicious cyclone of fiasco has been active in Yemen for past many years and many are enveloped inside it, but their anguished cries fail to reach the outside world. The US government has always been very supportive of human rights and individual freedom. General concept is that everyone is entitled to the right to freedom and no infringements of privacy should be allowed. This the concept enjoyed within the US. In contrast, the US policy outside the country is completely opposite. This double standard is the height of hypocrisy because drone strikes translate into infringement of privacy. These attacks also negatively interfere with human welfare because many are forced to live under constant threat with drones flying overhead. In a country like America where millions of dollars are spent on animal welfare, it is unbelievably sad how no importance is attached to human life in Yemen. Although President Obama promised to limit the drone attacks in the war on terror, “recently in Yemen, he has done just the opposite” (Eland). Yemeni villagers also complain that when the drones hover around for days to weeks, they constantly look inside “our homes and even at our women” (Alwazir cited in Salama). This means that drone attacks translate into a direct abuse of their pride and their peace of mind. Such abuses are made quite effortlessly and casually by the US military because it has full confidence that there is nothing in the world which can be done against America even if a dozen attacks are made in a single week. Even if it is supposed for the sake of argument that America means no harm, but welfare for Yemen by bombarding its citizens with drone attacks, still the only result is that few terrorists have actually died and more have definitely been born out of this drone fiasco. Nothing in the entire world could compensate for those civilian casualties which have become a routine story in Yemen and still, the Obama administration does not show any signs of stopping this destruction. Even if the US thinks it is doing any good to Yemen, “Yemenis see only a foreign imperial power killing fellow countrymen and women” (Eland). Even the research presenting evidence against drone attacks cannot be called biased because according to a reputable research conducted by London-based forensic psychologist named Peter Schaapveld who is not a Yemeni national himself, 92% of the population is suffering from the aftermath of PTSD. Women are suffering from miscarriages owing to crippling fear of drones and children are losing their childhood and aging prematurely. Generations are being traumatized by these vicious drone attacks (Schaapveld cited in Salama). Everyone seems to care a lot about the Holocaust survivors and wastes no time to deliver long speeches against Hitler who initiated that human massacre. But, a very real and very traumatizing Holocaust has been going on in Yemen since 2002 and has now picked more momentum, but no one seems to be emotionally affected by this Holocaust. Every drone attack ensures continuation of the Holocaust and these Holocaust survivors are irreparably affected psychologically (Schaapveld cited in Salama). From 2002 to 2014, 63-75 drone attacks have occurred as confirmed in Yemen. Close to 500 people have been killed and as many families have been destroyed for life as well. 196 have been badly injured for life, paralyzed or decapacitated in some other way. In addition to these confirmed drone attacks, the number of possible extra drone attacks is 112 as a result of which more than 500 Yemeni civilians have been killed (The Bureau of Investigative Journalism). The human cost of such drone attacks in Yemen has been explored by interviewing witnesses to the attacks’ civilian casualties. These soul-churning interviews “paint a violent picture of life on the receiving end of U.S. counterterrorism policy in the Arabian Peninsula” (Devereaux). Bodies of humans are torn down to tiny little pieces by these drones and their loved ones are left dumbstruck, paralyzed with grief and agony for life. For example, Salem Ben Ahmed ben Salem Ali Jaber, who was a popular imam and teacher in Yemen, became a victim of one such drone attack in August 2012. He actively criticized the activities of Al-Qaeda and always urged others to condemn and dismiss this organization. But, what he got in return for condemning Al-Qaeda? According to a witness, his body was ripped apart by missiles. Women and children present at the scene wildly cried and screamed and “the bodies of all those who died were disintegrated and scattered over a large area” (Abu ‘Issa Rajab Khamis Ba Rifat cited in Devereaux). Concluding, no party is benefiting from this anti-terrorism policy which mainly only has three effects. First, it continues to put more burdens on the US’s financial resources generating an economic contraction which affects every single citizen in the long run. Secondly, it pushes the other nation like Yemen in this case further deeper into the pit of economic recession. Finally, more terrorists are born with every single attack because every one of these terrorist groups is like the Lernaean Hydra, which for each head cut off grows two more. Such anti-terrorism policies which translate into unbelievably ruthless treatment of millions of innocent human beings should be abruptly discontinued by the country which declares to care the most about basic human rights. The US drone strikes have become more frequent recently instead of dwindling in number because retaliation is becoming stronger. This suggests that had air strikes by the US drones been doing any good, there would have been less reaction and less terrorism. Instead, there has been more furious and raging hatred which has generated more terrorists and more crime. All of this has happened due to the US policy of drone attacks which is illogical and despicable. Works cited: Almasmari, Hakim. “US makes a drone attack a day in Yemen.” The National. thenational.ae, 15 Jun. 2011. Web. 01 May. 2014. Brenann, John O. “U.S. Policy Toward Yemen.” Council on Foreign Relations. cfr.org, 08 Aug. 2012. Web. 01 May. 2014. Devereaux, Ryan. “New Report Documents the Human Cost of U.S. Drone Strikes in Yemen.” Rolling Stone POLITICS. Rolling Stone, 03 Jul. 2013. Web. 01 May. 2014. Eland, Ivan. Accelerating the Counterproductive Drone War in Yemen. original.antiwar.com, 30 Apr. 2014. Web. 01 May. 2014. Salama, Vivian. “Death From Above: How American Drone Strikes Are Devastating Yemen.” Rolling Stone POLITICS. Rolling Stone, 14 Apr. 2014. Web. 01 May. 2014. Sharp, Jeremy M. Yemen: Background and U.S. Relations. fas.org, 06 Feb. 2014. Web. 01 May. 2014. Sledge, Matt. “Every Yemen Drone Strike Creates 40 To 60 New Enemies, Former U.S. Official Says.” The World Post. huffingtonpost.com, 23 Oct. 2013. Web. 01 May. 2014. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Drone strikes in Yemen. thebureauinvestigates.com, 22 Apr. 2014. Web. 01 May. 2014. Villarreal, Ryan. “Yemen Receives $6.4 Billion In Foreign Aid, Amid Food, Water Shortages And Social Unrest.” International Business Times. ibtimes.com, 06 Sep. 2012. Web. 01 May. 2014. Woodward, Paul. How American drone strikes are devastating Yemen. War in Context, 22 Apr. 2014. Web. 01 May. 2014. Read More