Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), otherwise known as
drones, are remotely-controlled aircraft which may be
armed with missiles and bombs for attack missions.
Since the World Trade Center attacks of Sep. 11, 2001
and the subsequent "War on Terror," the United States
has used drones to kill suspected terrorists in Pakistan,
Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, and other countries.
Proponents say that drones have decimated terrorist
networks abroad via precise strikes with minimal civilian
casualties. They contend that drones are relatively
inexpensive weapons, are used under proper government
oversight, and that their use helps prevent "boots on the
ground" combat and makes America safer.
Opponents say that drone strikes create more terrorists
than they kill. They contend that drone strikes kill large
numbers of civilians, violate international law, lack
sufficient congressional oversight, violate the
sovereignty of other nations, and make the horrors of
war appear as innocuous as a video game.
Civilians accounted for 8-17% of all deaths from US
drones in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia.
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