"Orientalism," a backbone of the United States drone program?

While researching journal articles related to unmanned systems and their predicted impacts on society, I discovered a vein of anti-drone research which accuses the United States of "Orientalism."  This word refers to the presumed intense and purposeful branding of Arabs by Western cultures as being perverse, violent and extremist (AANM, 2014).

Maria Espinoza is one such author. Having published her article State Terrorism: Orientalism and the drone programme in 2018, the writer asserts that the entire U.S. military drone program is based on racism and hatred for Arab nations and people. It was a difficult task to read past the introduction as I always prefer to read objective scientific materials which present arguments in a logical order, leaving it to the reader to weigh the outcome of the argument.  The more one screams about how "right" they are the less I am inclined to listen.  But, like most educated readers, I can read and decide on my own.

It is important that the reader recognize that Orientalism is the basis for Espinoza's entire argument.  If there is no Orientalism, her argument ceases to exist.  As a result, Espinoza opines more about Orientalism than about the use of drones to maintain a racist stranglehold on societies subject to the will of "state terrorist governments" (2018).  Basic writing classes encourage refraining from interjecting forceful personal biases before the pertinent facts are presented.

To summarize Espinoza's argument: Drones are the product of the United States, a racist, colonial country, engaging in state terrorism with drone surveillance over Arab nations and desirous of killing "entire military-aged male populations" (2018).  

The deep history of the Middle Eastern conflict is often ignored by "modern day" researchers who have excluded the intense impact that the enduring lies of World War II Nazi propaganda materials and involvement have had on the region.  Much of the anti-Jew and anti-U.S. hatred that exists in the modern day Arab world is a direct result of Haj Amin El Husseini and his collaborations with the Nazis as they attempted to overthrow Cairo and establish a middle eastern holocaust that would have eradicated the Jews from Palestine (Tadros, 2014).  Espinoza's claims of the West being engaged in "state terrorism" completely ignores the deep-seeded influence that Nazis had on the Middle East that forms the basis of the anti-antisemitism that exists there today.  

There is some logic in Espinoza's argument that the drone "dehumanizes" the population over which it has surveillance control.  This projection of power from the sky over those below is currently prevalent in societies where there is no organized and effective central government to assist in regulating drone overflights.  Being under constant surveillance from above while simultaneously aware of the lethal power of drones can leave impacted populations attempting to engage in simple tasks under significant stress levels.  Is this strategy equitable to indigenous populations that are innocent of war-related violence? I would argue that it is not.  

But the basis of the military drone strategy evolved out of the 911 attacks on America and simultaneous miniaturization of remote sensors, not "Orientalism."  The only "hate" that preceded the current drone strategy was the type of hate that crashed into the World Trade Center towers, killing 2,977 innocent people (terrorists excluded).  

No one forces jihadists to carry AK-47s, terrorizing local Arab populations, forcing them to submit to whatever terrorist sect is passing through that month.  This is the real hate.  This is the real "state terrorism."  Espinoza's research neglected to mention the ingrained local terror that many Arabs long to shed from their daily lives, their children growing up in the shadows of oppression and slavery of thought.  

The consideration of lethal autonomy, made possible by artificial intelligence (AI), will prove challenging for ethical and moral decision makers.  Lethal autonomy may eventually permit unmanned aerial vehicles to make decisions about killing targets completely independent of human operators.  This new capability paired with unmanned military drone flights has the potential for being abused worldwide, including domestically.

Espinoza, we need moderate and effective solutions, not calls for the destruction of Israel, the United States and other countries.    Given past American history, I would predict that the final solution for eradicating foreign drone use over Arab skies will involve the rising up of the populace, the establishment of a working government and the development of alliances with partner nations resulting in economic viability.  These aren't easy tasks, but the power is with the people and it's time for the people to take charge of their destiny if they desire peace and strength.

An accurate perspective of the problem is necessary before a solution can be found.  Intensely refuting blame and casting it resolutely onto perceived sponsors of "state terrorism" only serve to ingrain positioning and philosophies.  We are all throwing rotten eggs at one another and no one ever cleans it up.  


References

Arab American National Museum (AANM), (2014). What is                   Orientalism? Retrieved from http://www.arabstereotypes.org
        /why-stereotypes/what-orientalism

Marina Espinoza (2018) State terrorism: orientalism and the drone         programme, Critical Studies on Terrorism, 11:2, 376-                       393,DOI: 10.1080/17539153.2018.1456725

Tadros, S. (2014).  The Sources of Egyptian Antisemitism.                    Retrieved from https://www.the-american-interest.com/
      2014/04/21/the-sources-of-egyptian-anti-semitism/