US drone warfare breeds terrorists around the globe - Jody Williams, Nobel Peace Prize winner

The future has sneaked up on us unnoticed. What was science fiction a couple of decades ago is now everyday reality. But it’s not only computers and smartphones – the progress has brought us new war machines – unmanned drones striking from the skies are no surprise for anyone today. But what has the progress of warfare prepared for us in the coming years? Today we speak to a Nobel Peace Prize-winning woman, who has fought against landmines – and won. Now she is on a crusade against the new deadly threat – killer robots. Jody Williams is today’s guest on Sophie&Co.

The United States’ bloody messes in Yemen

Yemeni legislators are aware that the drone war is deeply unpopular. Since the Dec,. 12 strike, our parliament has unanimously voted to ban drone flights in Yemeni airspace, declaring them a “grave breach” of the country’s sovereignty. For a country so often divided, this unanimity from Yemen’s most representative bodies testifies to the strength of opinion against drones. But their calls have thus far met only with more bombings from the skies. How can the people of Yemen build trust in their fledgling democracy when our collective will is ignored by democracy’s greatest exponent?

When will drones stop killing innocent people in Yemen?

On December 12 a bride and groom traveled to their wedding in al-Baitha province, Yemen. It was supposed to be a day of celebration. Instead, in a few seconds, their happiness was obliterated. A U.S. drone fired at the wedding procession, destroying five vehicles and killing most of their occupants. Not even the bride's car, beautifully decorated with flowers, was spared from the carnage.

The Slaughter of a Wedding Party in Yemen: Anatomy of a Bad Drone Strike (apologist of drones)

RICHARD HERMANN: Have we lost our will to right wrongs?

First it was “extraordinary rendition,” sending people we suspected of being terrorists or being affiliated in some vague way with terrorists, to friendly countries whose enthusiasm for brutalizing folks exceeded our proclaimed standards. That policy emerged in the Clinton administration. Second was condoning torture (a Bush-Cheney policy). Next, drones that kill our enemies and also cause “collateral damage,” a sanitized term for murdering innocent bystanders, including babies (refined to a high art in the Obama administration).

Life in the Emerging American Police State: What's in Store for Our Freedoms in 2014?

Invasion of the drones. As corporations and government agencies alike prepare for their part in the coming drone invasion--it is expected that at least 30,000 drones will occupy U.S. airspace by 2020, ushering in a $30 billion per year industry--it won't be long before Americans discover first-hand that drones--unmanned aerial vehicles--come in all shapes and sizes, from nano-sized drones as small as a grain of sand that can do everything from conducting surveillance to detonating explosive charges, to middle-sized copter drones that can deliver pizzas to massive "hunter/killer" Predator warships that unleash firepower from on high.

Killing by US drones questionable

Exclusive: MoD tightens security at American spy bases linked to drone strikes

Pentagon plans to weaponize more drones

Drones Are the Future of War, So Why Is the Pentagon Spending Over $1 Trillion on the F-35 Fighter J

To the left is an F-35. It is -- at least in theory -- the pinnacle of American military aviation.

Now it's Middle Eastern regimes fighting al-Qa'ida, while the US ties itself up in knots

And so, for the first time in recent history, it seems that the “war against terror” – and specifically against al-Qa’ida – is being fought by Middle East regimes rather than their foreign investors.

Sure, American drones still smash into al-Qa’ida operatives, wedding parties and innocent homes in Pakistan. But it’s General al-Sisi of Egypt, President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of Iraq, President Hassan Rouhani of Iran – even powerless President Michel Sleiman of Lebanon – who are now fighting “terrorists”.

US drone attacks in Yemen protect no one but Al Qaeda

But then, on the following night after the government began broadcasting the videos, and as rage against Aqap was reaching a fevered pitch, an unmanned American military drone flying over the Radaa province, some 150 kilometres south-east of Sanaa, fired a missile into Yemen. It struck a vehicle in a wedding procession, killing 12 people and wounding dozens more. Almost instantly, the public discourse shifted, the anger redirected. Al Qaeda had almost destroyed itself but America came to its rescue.

Drones Will Be Tested in 10 US States - Is Yours One?

At least ten states will be sites for testing drones — unmanned aircraft — in the next couple of years, the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) announced on Monday. Six institutions have been authorized to operate test locations for the use of drones and for studying how they will interact with air traffic systems.

The drones are not the Predators, Global Hawks or other government-operated long-range planes but aircraft with potentially commercial and other uses. For instance, a Styrofoam helicopter powered by lighter fluid could be sent over fields to detect agricultural pests. An electric helicopter could be dispatched to the roof of a building to check on a water tower.

Time to prepare for drones in New Jersey: Opinion

Pentagon looks for new ways to weaponize 11K drones

A recent report by the U.S. Department of Defense highlights the Pentagon’s desire to adapt roughly 11,000 drones for “lightweight, precision-guided weapons” for emerging threats in the Asia-Pacific region,

US defence dept. plans to arm more drones with guided weapons for combat missions

Killer robots: The possible future of wars

The Drones of New York

The Syracuse Post-Standard reports: "For protesters of U.S. military drone use in Afghanistan, [the recent FAA] announcement that Central New York would become a test site for integrating drones into commercial air space was unwelcome news.

Haiti: Drones and Slavery

The drones which today indiscriminately kill men, women and children in Pakistan and Yemen appeared first in the history of the technology as children’s toys, not weapons.

Putting Drones to the Test

Drones will soon take to the skies across the United States in federally approved tests that are meant to clear the way for the commercial use of unmanned aircraft. But before that happens, lawmakers and regulators need to deal with a host of unresolved privacy and safety concerns.

Domestic Drone Launch Date Approaches; Drones to Be Autonomous

Drones will soon be buzzing over every city in America.

US drones: War above the law

The US is due to release a new national security strategy early this year to define targets for the next stage of fighting Al-Qaeda. The document is being drafted amid the growing criticism of the ways of the fighting in question. The extensive use of drones in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Yemen raises numerous legal and other questions.

Alleged AQAP members killed in drone strike in Abyan

Two alleged Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) affiliates were killed in a drone strike on Tuesday in the Al-Mahfad district of Abyan governorate in southern Yemen, according to the Interior Ministry. Three others, also alleged to be associated with AQAP, were injured in the aerial attack.

Pakistani civilians pay high price in drone war

Our Orwellian reality: Drone wars, surveillance, a lapdog media — and you

Our government lies to itself -- and to us. Like Edward Snowden, it is time for us all to stand up for our values

Obama Ignores Human Rights Accusations Following Botched Wedding Strike

Members of the Yemeni Tays and Bin Amr tribes were returning home from a wedding ceremony on December 12. The convoy of cars was heavily armed, which isn’t surprising in a country where gun ownership is as culturally acceptable as it is in the United States.

U.S. Drone Strike In Yemen Kills Two Suspected Al Qaeda Militants

Two suspected al Qaeda militants were killed in a U.S. drone strike in the southeastern province of Hadramout on Wednesday, residents and local officials said.

U.S. government dishonest about drone use?

A changing drone campaign: US covert actions in 2013

From the frontier: Waldron declares itself 'drone-free zone', lobbies County Council to follow suit

NATO supply blocked to protest drone attacks

New York will be a drone research site

Former Air Force Analyst: Drone Pilots Can’t Tell The Difference Between A Shovel And A Weapon

Bad decisions mean more violence ahead

It is troubling that the American, Israeli, Iraqi and Egyptian governments last week have all signaled their determination to make poor policy decisions that are certain to lead to higher levels of violence, resistance, militancy, terror and instability in the months and years ahead. These and other governments have been doing this for years, without learning the lessons of their own sustained failures.

US military officials predict drone throng - report

CIA-waged drone war 'spreads anarchy' around the world

The US said it is mapping out a new national security strategy that will be announced in early 2014. The white paper on the next stage of Washington’s war on al-Qaeda will be released at the time of mounting international criticism of US drone strikes in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Yemen.

The Top 4 Threats to World Peace

Nearly 25 percent of the 68 countries surveyed by WIN/Gallup International named the US the biggest threat to world peace today.

Murder By Internet Still On Track For 2014

Stanford philosophy professor calls for a generation of more responsible thinkers

Finding inspiration from the ancients, Stanford philosopher Christopher Bobonich underscores the moral consequences of reflecting upon bad means to good ends.