The first article I found for this week’s blog entry is by Danial BYman on the Foreign Affairs website. The article was written in 2013, and focuses on my topic of Yemen drone strikes. The author makes a case for using drone strikes over other forms of military intervention, and also addresses criticisms. A big issue with drone strikes are the civilian deaths it causes. Indeed, the reported numbers are high, one must look at the alternative forms of military tactics to really determine wether drone attack are effective. When compared to Tomahawk cruise missiles and F-16s, data shows that drones are the more discriminate form of force. What’s more, putting US soldiers on Yemen ground to combat terrorists is very costly. The author continues by addressing the outrage that Yemen citizens feel over drone attacks. He points out that, despite their objections, the drone strikes are actually doing more good for the citizens than harm, because the attacks kill the militants that cause corruption and poor economic growth in their country. It is hard to make that argument however, when the strikes kill innocents.
This next article by The Washington Post is an in-depth article covering aspects of drone warfare and it’s legitimacy. The author notes how drone attacks have been used to kill US citizens without trial. He also details some drone facts such as the amount of damage they cause:”They feature a maximum payload of 3,000 pounds, or 1.5 tons. That means they can carry a combination of Hellfires and larger 500 pound bombs like the GBU-12 Paveway II and GBD-38 JDAM. Those have an “effective casualty radius” of about 200 feet. That means that about 50 percent of people within 200 feet of the blast site will die.” He goes on to cite the toll in both militant and civilian deaths: estimates range from 3,500 to 4,700 combined deaths by various sources, and 446 to 978 for civilians only. Looking at both these articles, I can start to see drones in a new light. One aspect is the accuracy and expense of drones compared to other forms of military force. It does seem like the best way to handle operations, but after learning of the civilian death numbers, I have to wonder wether or not these military operations in the middle east are helping our cause. Even of the drones are more accurate and less expensive, they are still killing many innocents and could possibly be causing more recruits than what the drone attacks take away.

Two of my blog posts are about the continuation of drone warfare in Yemen by the US government. These articles were chosen because they are directly related to my topic of drone attacks in Yemen. The first article by Yahoo News says that 4 suspected al Qaeda members were killed in Hadramawt province in Yemen. It is believed that Harith al-Nadhari, a senior figure who threatened more attacks on France after last month’s killings at satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, had died in the US drone strike.This marks the fourth drone attack since January 25, when Obama declared the continuation of the military campaign against jihadists in Yemen, despite the political uncertainty the country is experiencing. Shiite rebels took control of some major government buildings in Sanaa recently, and have ousted the Western-backed ex-president of Yemen. The second article I looked at was by The Long War Journal. This article also covers a recent drone strike that killed 3 Al Qaeda members. The strike happened in the Yemen province of Shabwa. Shabwa is a known haven for AQAP and it’s leaders, and was in the groups control a few years ago. According to the article, the group has reclaimed power in the area, after the recent Houthi rebel takeover in Yemen caused instability in the central government. The 2 groups are enemies, but both look to take advantage of the opportunity that the collapse of the government has offered. The phrase “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” comes to mind when I think of this situation. However, I really am skeptical that the Houthis will feel this way about the US. The Houthis have voiced their negative opinions about US foreign policy and their drone attacks. So the US will probably have to continue the drone usage rather than work with the rebels at eradicating Al Qaeda.

My first 2 articles are over the recent drone strike, by the US, in Yemen, which occurred on Jan. 31st, 2015. The New York Times article states that Harith al-Nadhari, an ideologue who had publicly praised the attack on the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, was among those killed in the drone attack. A spokesperson for Al Qaeda claimed that “These strikes came after the Houthis, who became America’s loyal partner in the south of the Arabian Peninsula, took full control under an American supervision and an international conspiracy,” The article continues with info about the recent Houthi political takeover in Yemen that forced President Hadi to resign power. The Guardian posted this next article, which details the drone’s killing of a 13 year old Yemeni named Mohammed Tuaiman. Anonymous sources said the attack was carried out by the CIA. According to the article, Mohammed had lived in constant fear of drone strikes, which had killed his father and brother in 2011. Apparently, many kids in Yemen experience anxiety and fear of drones, which very often hit the wrong targets. Mohammed’s brother made a statement after the strike, which said his family had been wrongly accused of association with Al Qaeda, and that his brother was innocent. He plans to take the matter to court and prove his brother’s innocence. The Tuaiman family have been accused of being Al Qaeda sympathizers, and have condemned the Houthi takeover in Yemen. The next two articles I looked at do not directly address drone strikes, but do examine the related political power struggle in Yemen. The Al Arabiya News article covers the Shia power grab in Yemen, and their refusal to relinquish power in the face of their Gulf neighbors’ call to the UN to act forcefully against the take over. Yemen’s Gulf neighbors on Saturday urged the international community to act forcefully over the deteriorating security situation in the Arabian Peninsula country, including possible military intervention. Many countries have closed their embassies in Yemen do to the instability. Yemen is home to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, according to the article, and regarded by the US as the networks deadliest branch. Finally, my last article by Israelnationalnews.com, details information abut the current battles in Yemen, between Al Qaeda and Houthi Rebels, for control over army bases. Al Qaeda in Yemen is expanding operations and threatens to control another division of the Yemenite army, security officials said this week. The Houthis are backed by Iran, which is seeking to gain control over Yemen. With all the political turmoil in Yemen, along with indiscriminate US drone killings, the future of Yemen is uncertain. What’s more, the role that the US plays in the area remains unclear. All that is certain is that the US seems determined to continue the drone strikes in face of political uncertainty in Yemen.

A couple articles I posted this week are related and detail information about the United States’ last drone attack in Yemen. The articles relate to my topic of Yemen drone attacks. The first article is from the news site The Globe and Mail, and is titled “Grade 6 student killed by U.S. drone strike in Yemen, rights group says”. It was published on Jan. 27, 2015. According to a Yemini rights group, a 6th grade student was killed in Yemen by a U.S drone strike east of the capitol Sanaa. The group said Mohammed Saleh Qayed Taeiman was one of three people reported killed in Monday’s drone strike. It said his father and older brother were killed in a 2011 drone strike, and a third brother was wounded in another drone attack. The death of Taeiman adds to the growing resentment towards the US for its drone missions in Yemen. Three men killed in the strike were believed to be al-Qaeda militants. The second article, by Al-Jazeera, covers the same story. It appears that this drone attack signals that the US will continue its pursuit of militants in the face of Yemen’s political instability. It is the first US drone attack since Yemen’s US-backed President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi resigned along with his Cabinet on Thursday rather than agree to the demands by the Shia rebels, known as Houthis, for more power. Though the Houthis are not friendly to America, they are opponents to al-Queda.