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The EU Condemns Drone Strikes

March 1st, 2014 Posted in EU by

Excellent news from the EU!

European Union Members of Parliament condemned the use of drones in targeted killings in a vote of 534 to 49. The vote proposing a ban referred to the drone strikes as “unlawful.”

Not just a victory but a landslide victory.

I once heard drone strikes described as ‘surgical.’ They are the exact opposite. They are notoriously  imprecise, killing nine innocent civilians for every one ‘bad guy.’ The callous disregard of human life in affected areas can only serve to breed contempt and make us less safe. If the powers that be ever update the Geneva Conventions, I hope this type of warfare is explicitly acknowledged and condemned.

4 Responses to “The EU Condemns Drone Strikes”

  1. Geoffrey Payne Says:

    I agree with Liberal Vision, on this topic anyway.


  2. Sara Scarlett Says:

    How noble of you to admit it!


  3. Psi Says:

    I’m not disagreeing but I assume that you also disagree with all air strikes?

    I am concerned at how many people misunderstand what is intended when people describe air power a “surgical” or “accurate” as this is based upon comparisons with history.

    When your base line is carpet bombing whole cities like Dresden these are dramtically more accurate, but not compared to some other non air based approaches.

    Drone strikes are not the problem, it is the belief that people have in the accuracy of Air based warfare. Partly due to a lack of knowledge by politicians and journalists of the nature of war and the resulting in an underestimate of the human cost.


  4. Sara Scarlett Says:

    I do disagree with all air strikes (and war in general but that is another blog post).

    As you say, air strikes are hideously inaccurate as a mode of warfare. It’s the equivalent of using a sledge hammer to crack a walnut. I also thing it’s the type of warfare that created the most ‘blowback.’