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CongressionalProgressiveCaucusPeaceandSecurityTaskforce:AdHocHearingonDrones

TestimonyofChristopherRogers,ProgramOfficer,RegionalPolicyInitiative,OpenSocietyFoundations

May8,2013

Introduction

ThankyoutoRepresentativeBarbaraLeeandtheCongressionalProgressiveCaucusfortheopportunity

tospeakheretoday.

FewAmericanstrulyunderstandthescopeandbreadthoftheU.S.droneprogram,itsimpacton

affectedcommunities,andtheconsequencesfortheUnitedStates,andfortherestoftheworld.Most

importantly,thesecrecysurroundingdronestrikesandtargetedkillingsneedstocometoanendsothat

theAmericanpubliccanhaveafull,opendebateaboutthelegality,andthewisdomofthispractice.

CivilianHarm

Dronesarenotascleanorcostlessasadministrationofficialswouldliketobelieve.InPakistan,my

organizationhasintervieweddozensofwitnessesandvictimsoftheseattacks.Afterlookinginto27

casesofdronestrikesbetween2009and2012,wedocumented26crediblereportsofciviliandeaths,

includingwomenandchildren.Forinstance,inApril2011,witnessestoldusthatadronestrikeona

guesthousekilledmilitants,butalsoseveralciviliansinthesamecompound,includinga12-year-old

boy,sparkingoutrageinthatcommunity.

Dronescanbemoreprecisethanotherweaponssystems,butasourfindingsshow,theyarenotandcan

neverbeperfect.Administrationofficialsfrequentlycitethetechnologicalsophisticationofdrones,

includingmultiplelivevideofeedsandpowerfulcameras.Butfaithinthistechnologyrunstheriskof

blindingofficialstotheerrorsandintelligencegapsinherentinusinganyweaponandthecivilian

deathsthatinevitablyresult.Civilianvictimsdeserve,asamatteroffundamentaldignity,tohavetheir

lossesrecognizedbyourgovernment,andforredresstobeprovided.TheU.S.governmentmustbegin

bytakingwhatisnowamultitudeofcredibleciviliancasualtyclaimsseriously.

DronesarenotaStrategy

Thequestionoftheeffectivenessofthedronecampaigncannotbeevaluatedwithoutweighingthese

humanitarian,andinturn,politicalimpactsofsuchattacks.

ItishelpfultotakeastepbackandconsidertherealitiesonthegroundwheretheUnitedStatesis

conductingdronestrikes.InPakistan,theyoccurintheFederallyAdministeredTribalAreasorFATA.

Havingspokentomanypeoplefromthisregion,Ihaveseenthatdronesarebynomeanstheonly,or

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eventhegreatestthreatfacedbythepeopleofFATA.FATAisundersiege,andhasfordecadesbeen

economically,socially,andpoliticallyisolated.Averageincomeislessthan250dollarsperyear.Less

thanoneinfiveareliterate.Therearenocourts,noelectedlocalgovernment.Militancyhasfilledthis

vacuumandtheensuingconflicthasdisplacedhundredsofthousands,ledtothedetentionof

thousandsmore,andcausedanuntoldnumberofciviliandeaths.

PeopleinFATAarecaughtbetweenmilitantsandthePakistanimilitary,dealingwiththedestructionof

theirtraditionaltribalstructures,andanabsenteegovernment.Itisagainstthisbackdropthatthe

UnitedStatesisconductingdronestrikes,whichhavekilledtwotothreethousandpeopleoverthepast

severalyears,incommunitiesthatalreadyfeelabandonedandextremelyvulnerable.

Insuchanenvironment,itisclearthatdronesareatacticnotastrategy.Thesubstantialdiplomatic

costsofdrones,theirpotentialtospurnbacklashandunderminekeystrategicrelationships,demandsa

realisticassessmentofhowtheyfitintoabroadercounter-terrorismstrategy.EveninPakistan,where

Administrationofficialshavesuggestedthatthegovernmenthasconsentedtosuchstrikes,thereare

deepdivisionswithinthehighestlevelsofthePakistanistate,andsociety.Thesefissuresareexploited

byextremistpartiesandgroupstothedetrimentoftheUnitedStatesanditsallieswithinPakistan.

WhatistheU.S.slong-termcounter-terrorismstrategy?Howdodronestrikesfitintoandfurtherthat

strategy?Inwhatwaysaredronestrikescounterproductive?Thosearethemostimportantquestionsto

asknotsimplythebodycountofmilitantskilled.

TheExpandingDroneCampaign

Inaddition,itisvitallyimportantthattheAdministrationbenotonlytransparent,butalsostraight-

forwardwiththeAmericanpeopleabouttheeverbroadeningscopeofthedroneprogram.Drone

strikesarentjusttargetedkillingsofspecificallyidentifiedal-QaedaterroristsplottingtoattacktheU.S,

asAdministrationofficialssuggest.JohnBrennan,inhisApril2012speechonU.S.dronestrikesand

counter-terrorismpolicy,saidthat,InordertopreventterroristattacksontheUnitedStatesandto

saveAmericanlivestheUnitedStatesGovernmentconductstargetedstrikesagainstspecifical-Qa'ida

terrorists.Mr.Brennanmentionedal-Qaida72timesinthatspeech,whichhasbecomethetouchstone

oftheAdministrationsdefenseofthedroneprogram.

Thesestatementsmisleadthepublic.ThebulkofCIAstrikesinPakistan,accordingtoreports,are

signaturestrikes,whichtargetindividualswhoseidentitiesarentevenknown,nevermindspecifically

identifiedal-Qaidaterrorists.AccordingtoanalysisofnewsreportsbytheNewAmericaFoundation,al-

Qaedamembersrepresentmerely10%ofthethousandskilledbydronesundertheObama

Administration,withonly16leaderskilled.Themajorityofthosekilledhavebeenunknown,lower-level

militantsfromawiderangeofotherorganizations,includingdifferentPakistaniTalibanfactionsaswell

ascivilians.

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TherealityisthatthedroneprogramhasundergoneadramaticexpansionundertheObama

Administration,basedlargelyontwowords:associatedforces.Thattermhascometoencompassa

widerangeofindividualswithquestionableconnectiontotheeventsof9/11,thebasisofthe

AuthorizationtoUseMilitaryForce.Itisatermthatnowstretchestogroupsthatdidntevenexistat

thattimeandincountriesfarawayfromthebattlefieldinAfghanistan.Thisraisesseriousquestions

regardingthelegalityofsuchstrikesunderinternationallaw,aswellasunderU.S.domesticlaw.

Precedent

Finally,theU.S.mustseriouslyconsidertheprecedentitissetting.TherealityisthatthePakistani

governmentisntagainstdronesitwantsitsown.Thatsthefutureofdronewarfareothercountries

usingarmeddronestoconductkillingsontheirownterritoryorthatofotherstates.Thequestionthe

UnitedStatesmustaskitselfiswhatkindoflawsandrulesitwantstherestoftheworldtolivebywhen

thatdaycomes.

Conclusion

Anadmirableprecedenttosetwouldtobetoprovideredressforcivilianskilledorinjuredindrone

strikesandcreaterigorouspost-incidentaccountabilitymechanisms.Thiswoulddomuchtohelpdeter

abuseandensureoperationscomplywiththelaw.

Mosturgentistheseriousdemocraticdeficitwhenitcomestodrones.Congressshouldpressthe

Administrationtopubliclydisclosetheinformationandfactsnecessaryforustodeterminewhether

suchoperationsarelegal,soundpolicyandwhethertheyareconsistentwithAmericanvaluesandinterests.

ButCongressandtheAmericanpublicshouldgobeyonddemandingdisclosure.Transparencyisnot

enough.Wemustusethatknowledgetomakejudgmentstoensurethatourpoliciesmatchour

values,andthatthelawsthatprotectciviliansandlimitwarareupheld.