“To the United States, a drone strike seems to have very little risk and very little pain. At the receiving end, it feels like war. Americans have got to understand that. If we were to use our technological capabilities carelessly—I don’t think we do, but there’s always the danger that you will—then we should not be upset when someone responds with their equivalent, which is a suicide bomb in Central Park, because that’s what they can respond with.”
The bold portion of Gen. McChrystal's quote reminds me of my admittedly long winded post The Next 9/11. I created this flow chart to illustrate how our Middle Eastern foreign policy often creates a negative feedback loop. I was happy to read Gen. McChystal and I share a relatively similar view on the matter.
The stereotypical terrorist does not live in a nation with strong institutions nor representative government. Thus when Obama authorizes a drone strike in Yemen or Pakistan, the Yemenis and Pakistanis don't have a formal institution or outlet to address their understandable grievances about our drone war. This lack of an outlet means these people are more likely to take radical measures to vent their anger, such as a "suicide bomb in Central Park."
No comments:
Post a Comment