An Ethical and Legal Position Against Drone Use

An Ethical and Legal Position against Drone Use

The widespread use of UAVs or “drones” has been a tremendous asset in the War on Terror. The implementation of drones creates a tactical advantage on the battlefield by effectively taking out targets while keeping our men and women in uniform safe. While the tactical advantage is recognized against foreign enemies, the ethical position of using drones to take out non-imminent threats, or legal American citizens has been questioned over the past few years. Outside the scope of armed conflict zones, the utilization of lethal force is limited solely to international law. Specifically, when it comes to U.S. citizens, the use of lethal force is limited by the Constitution. This “targeted killing”, whether an American citizen or not, is illegal and unethical based on the Constitutional right of due process if they are a citizen, or by the human rights laws; which the United States recognizes.

The background behind the case that lead to the constitutional challenge against the utilization of drone strikes begins with Anwar al-Awlaki. Al-Awlaki was an American citizen, born in New Mexico, and also an imam. U.S. government officials claim that al-Awlaki was the head recruiter and was involved in coordinating terrorist plots for al-Qaeda. His method of outreach consisted of an online blog, Facebook, the al-Qaeda magazine Inspire, and numerous videos on YouTube. Al-Awlaki held the position of an imam at a mosque in Falls Church, Virginia from 2001 to 2002. This mosque had an upward reach to about 3,000 members. Throughout his stint as an imam, al-Awlaki helped inspire the terrorists that attacked the U.S. in 2001 (“Anwar Al-Awlaki Fast Facts”.).

In April 2010, President Barack Obama put al-Awlaki on a kill list; amongst others whom the CIA authorized to neutralize due to their partaking in terrorist activities. The U.S. arranged a UAV strike in Yemen to seek out and eliminate al-Awlaki. On September 30, 2011, the drones were...