奥巴马：关塔那摩政策必须改变

This is the latest in drone technology preparing for take-off from an US aircraft carrier at sea. President Obama has increased America’s reliance on drones to target terrorists, suspects overseas. The appeal: no pilot is needed. It reduces the risks to his own military, but it’s a controversial program which Washington rarely acknowledges. 

America does not take strikes to punish individuals. We act against terrorists who pose a continuant and imminent threat to the American people, and when there are no other governments capable of effectively addressing the threat. And before any strike is taken, there must be near certainty that no civilians will be killed or injured—the highest standard we can set.

Critics say the proliferative use of drones causes high civilian casualties. This was the aftermath of an attack in Afghanistan that targets Taliban militants. In fact the drone hit a school. Beyond the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Obama administration has used drones in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and Libya. In Pakistan alone, based on news reports, the think-tank New America Foundation puts the number of people killed by drones at over 3,000. Its says up to 2,700 were militants, that includes 55 al Qaeda and Taliban leaders. But it also concluded that drone attacks had killed more than 300 civilians.

It’s difficult to criticize the program based on data, because, facts were so difficult to come by. But the secrecy of the program is something where criticism I think has been very relevant and very germane, because we cannot evaluate the value, the efficacy or even the ethics of this program unless we know everything that’s happening about it.

In his speech, president Obama also reiterated his vow to close the US detention center at Guantanamo Bay.

I have asked the department of defense to designate a site in the United States where we can hold military commissions. I’m appointing a new senior envoy at the state department and the defense department whose sole responsibility will be to achieve the transfer of detainees to third countries. I’m lifting the moratorium on detainee transfers to Yemen, so we can review them on a case by case basis.

The fight against terror goes on, and so will the use of drones. But the speech isn’t an attempt by the president to make his counterterrorist policy more transparent.

Lisa Holland, Sky News.