Out Of Afghanistan & Into
The African Frying Pan
A reminder that
the work of empire is never done.
For now, officials say they envision flying only unarmed surveillance drones from the base, though they have not ruled out conducting missile strikes at some point if the threat worsens.
Last June, a Washington Post report noted that: conventional aircraft hold two big advantages over drones: They are cheaper to operate and far less likely to draw attention because they are so similar to the planes used throughout Africa.
2 comments:
USA! USA! USA!
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Meh. It's not "all the same". First of all, if you learn anything about Mali, you'll discover that they are a very colorful, inclusive society with a history of tolerance and moderation, and the fucks that are trying to turn their nation into some kind of 12th century theocratic hellhole are the bad guys, and sometimes the RIGHT thing to do is to kill the fucker - and this is clearly one of those times.
Also, too, this is a French project - it's GOOD that the US is taking a support role rather than a lead role - more of this, please.
Worth mentioning that there is no moral difference between using manned and unmanned aircraft in combat within the boundries of a war. Merely a tactical equipment choice. Drones become problematic when it comes to be believed that they can be used to violate sovereign borders and assassinate people in places that are not currently involved in hostilities. But this is a problem of extra-judicial execution, so-called 'targeted killing', or, what used to be quaintly described as 'murder'. War in Northern Mali is a completely different case.
Oh, and for thunder's benefit, I'd mention that Mali has no oil, so most of his more convenient explanations don't apply...
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