“Weapon of Choice”

The claimed killing by a US drone attack in Pakistan of Abu Yahya al-Libi, al-Qaeda's second-in-command, has attracted considerable attention although not as much as the assassination of the movement's leader, Osama bin Laden, also in Pakistan, just over a year ago. Of equal interest to the killing of a reputedly dangerous man has been this latest example of the use by the United States of remotely-controlled drone attacks, following a detailed article in the New York Times about the role that President Obama plays in this strategy.

According to the article Mr Obama chairs a 100-strong consultation with senior staff before personally approving a strike. His objective is three-fold -- to make maximum use of what is apparently his “weapon of choice” while ensuring that the chosen targets have the necessary priority and that the risk of civilian casualities is small. There are, however, many misgivings about drone attacks: Pakistan says that they are a breach of international law; in the US they have been described as “remote murder”; and claims that they make only a “light foot print” compared to heavy boot invasion and occupancy obviously apply in only a limited number of cases. One obvious additional attraction for President Obama in an election year is this weapon's effectiveness in hitting key targets with a minimal loss of American lives.