3 ms·

Considering the lengths the US has gone to develop highly localized and targeted systems, like literally using knife missiles instead of bombs, your despair con

Considering the lengths the US has gone to develop highly localized and targeted systems, like literally using knife missiles instead of bombs, your despair confuses me. Using drone strikes actually leads to much fewer unintentional deaths than classical warfare. Boots on the ground not only lead to more direct casualties, but the knock of effects of the infrastructure disruption inevitably leads to orders of magnitude more beyond that. Targeted drone strikes, in terms of the ratio of unintended death to intended death are honestly better for everyone involved (except the target :P).

saiya-jin 5y ago
Oh look now we killed just 65 wedding guests with our super-precise bombing instead of wiping out half a village (happened so many times in Iraq and Afghanistan due to poor intelligence and trigger-happy rednecks in chain of command). Real progress for humanity indeed...
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
grouphugs 5y ago
nope
Retric 5y ago
Only if they don’t also encourage drone warfare. The US used to be quite isolationist, but the capacity to kill people at zero risk somehow mysteriously morphed into the need to regularly assassinate people. Military targets inside countries we are at war with is one thing, but drones strikes are not nearly so limited.
- christophilus 5y ago
  You could argue that we were isolationist until we became the dominant world power. I wouldn’t say we’ve been isolationist since WWII— well before drones. Honestly, you could argue that we’ve rarely been isolationist. We attacked Native American nations, then took over bits of the pacific, etc. We’ve been at war in some form or fashion for nearly all of our history. I’m mostly libertarian and mostly pacifist, so I hope we change, but I’m not holding my breath.
  - Retric 5y ago
    > since WWII - well before drones Surprisingly not: First flight 1939 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioplane_OQ-2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioplane_OQ-2 The MQM-57 Falconer for example was doing battlefield reconnoissance in 1955. But, it’s far to say attaching weapon systems to drones rather than using the drone its self as a weapon was more recent.
throwaway316943 5y ago
Every weapon that provides an asymmetrical advantage does that. The problem is that weapons capability doesn’t stay asymmetrical forever. Once both sides have them in abundance they start being used in completely different ways that usually involve killing a lot more people indiscriminately.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
bperson 5y ago
> Targeted drone strikes, in terms of the ratio of unintended death to intended death are honestly better for everyone involved (except the target :P) :(

saiya-jin 5y ago

Oh look now we killed just 65 wedding guests with our super-precise bombing instead of wiping out half a village (happened so many times in Iraq and Afghanistan due to poor intelligence and trigger-happy rednecks in chain of command). Real progress for humanity indeed...

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

grouphugs 5y ago

nope

Retric 5y ago

Only if they don’t also encourage drone warfare. The US used to be quite isolationist, but the capacity to kill people at zero risk somehow mysteriously morphed into the need to regularly assassinate people. Military targets inside countries we are at war with is one thing, but drones strikes are not nearly so limited.

christophilus 5y ago
You could argue that we were isolationist until we became the dominant world power. I wouldn’t say we’ve been isolationist since WWII— well before drones. Honestly, you could argue that we’ve rarely been isolationist. We attacked Native American nations, then took over bits of the pacific, etc. We’ve been at war in some form or fashion for nearly all of our history. I’m mostly libertarian and mostly pacifist, so I hope we change, but I’m not holding my breath.
- Retric 5y ago
  > since WWII - well before drones Surprisingly not: First flight 1939 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioplane_OQ-2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioplane_OQ-2 The MQM-57 Falconer for example was doing battlefield reconnoissance in 1955. But, it’s far to say attaching weapon systems to drones rather than using the drone its self as a weapon was more recent.

throwaway316943 5y ago

Every weapon that provides an asymmetrical advantage does that. The problem is that weapons capability doesn’t stay asymmetrical forever. Once both sides have them in abundance they start being used in completely different ways that usually involve killing a lot more people indiscriminately.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

bperson 5y ago

> Targeted drone strikes, in terms of the ratio of unintended death to intended death are honestly better for everyone involved (except the target :P) :(