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Drone program creating more enemies of US: Analyst

Sunday, 12 June 2016 6:20 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 12 June 2016 6:21 PM ]

A picture taken on January 17, 2016 shows the logo at the entrance of the US Air base in Ramstein, Germany. (AFP photo)

Press TV has interviewed David Lindorff, an investigative journalist in Philadelphia, to discuss a protest against US drone operations outside an American air base in Germany’s Ramstein.

A rough transcription of the interview appears below.

Press TV: Here are Germans tired of their country being a US enabler, allowing Washington to carry out drone attacks from their soil, your take.

Lindorff: I have to tell you that two miles from my house is a drone piloting base, a closed naval air station, and every Saturday there are protests there by Americans who want it shut down too. So I am quite familiar with the issue.

I think it is quite important though that in Germany they are talking about their constitution, which forbids them to be engaged in this kind of state terrorism and war and this is quite a demonstration to have that many people that you can link arms and surround the military base. That is a large base.

Press TV: And drone program has been highly controversial and many say it has even been ineffective. Why hasn’t Washington thought of modifying or scrapping the program altogether?

Lindorff: Some people in the United States including in the government have said that the drone program is counterproductive so even from getting ethics aside and war crimes aside, it is creating more enemies of the US than it is killing off. ... I forget the figure, it is like 10 to 1 the number of civilians who are being killed and the number of so-called legitimate targets and we do not even know whether those targets that they call legitimate are actually legitimate so it really is a monstrous program and clearly a war crime just on its face.

Press TV: And when it results in a disproportionate number of civilian casualties when you have these young pilots that are overseas or somewhere stationed far from wherever the targets taking effect to whatever the targets being bombed is, ending up a year or two later with post-traumatic stress disorder from killing civilians over operating these drones. Isn’t it time to review the program? Why isn’t Washington taking a second look at this program?

Lindorff: Because Washington is an immoral government that does not really care about the rule of law, international law, the UN Charter or anything. It is just pure, raw power. They can do it because they have the technology and they do not care whether it violates international law.

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