U.S. Calls 'Drug Boats' Drones; Civilians Disappear Between Presidencies
The New York Times frets over Trump's 'drug boat' attacks in the Caribbean, drawing parallels to Obama's 'signature strikes' on suspected terrorists. What's conveniently left out is the sustained, bipartisan expansion of executive killing, where the administration simply labels targets as 'combatants' or now, 'drug traffickers,' to justify extrajudicial killings. Remember when Obama's drone
program escalated dramatically, with 'disposition matrixes' replacing legal process, leaving countless unnamed civilians as 'collateral damage?' The media rarely questioned the classification then, nor the implications for international law. It seems the only thing that changes is the president and the euphemism. So, the US military blows up a boat, we’re told it’s ferrying drugs, and suddenly
it's a 'controversial tactic' again. How many such 'controversial tactics' have been deployed under the guise of an endless 'War on Terror' or 'War on Drugs,' with minimal scrutiny until a new political figure takes the helm? The cycle of selective outrage and convenient amnesia ensures that the mechanisms for state-sanctioned violence remain perfectly intact, just waiting for the next crisis to
justify their deployment. One might wonder if the New York Times just discovered the concept of American executive power extending beyond borders, or if it just needed a fresh angle now that Obama is no longer president.