Here comes the Drone!

A few decades past, it was the age of Cold War and the world was in a constant fear of nuclear war between the US and the then USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republic) present Russia. That age was mainly dominated by the developments of nuclear bomb, ICBM (Inter Continental Ballistic Missile), SLBM (Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile) and so forth. The Cold War came to an end in the nineties of last century with the demise of USSR. Now we are living in a multi-polar world, arguably uni-polar with the US In centre. Probably with the demise of USSR, we not only left behind the age of nuclear bomb or ICBM, SLBM, but also we have entered in a new age of armament- the age of drone. According to recent research from International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) there are at least eleven countries that have their own drones while more countries are trying to develop their own version of it. More concern for us that our neighbor India has, as it is known, thirty drones. The unscrupulous and indiscriminate use of drone makes us ample causes to be worried about our country’s national securities and of course, security of individuals. Who knows, one morning you may find your fellow countrymen wounded in border areas by an attack from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), widely known as drone.

Let us enter into the short history of drone. Mainly, drone is the innovation of the US. The CIA and Pentagon first wanted to have it in the early 1980s, for reconnaissance. In the nineties of the last century, the US publicly unveiled the drone. When President George W Bush declared a "War on Terror" 11 years ago, the Pentagon had fewer than 50 drones. Now, it has around seven thousand and five hundred drones. But according to the IISS data it has at least 678 drones in service. Following 2001, the RQ-1 Predator became the primary unmanned aircraft used for offensive operations by the USAF and the CIA in Afghanistan and the Pakistani tribal areas it has also been deployed elsewhere. The US rarely discusses the top-secret drone programme. This is absolutely, humiliating for any country to be under the attacks of drone as Pakistan, Somalia have been experiencing for years. In the name of war against terrorism, in other words Al-Qaida, in fact, killed thousands of Pakistani civilians. Imran Khan, a political leader, in Pakistan completed a two-day long march towards South Waziristan province, in protest of US drone strikes in the country’s tribal region bordering Afghanistan commenced since last Saturday.

US government justifies its drone strikes with the argument that it is at war with al-Qaeda and its affiliates, one could imagine that India in the not too distant future might launch such attacks against suspected terrorists in Kashmir or in neighboring countries like Bangladesh. China might strike Uighur separatists in western China, or Iran might attack Baluchi nationalists along its border with Pakistan. The China has already expressed its interest to fly drone to vigil the activities of Japan in South China Sea. The more the time is progressing the more the intention to own drone is increasing from new states. This is why the concern of drone related insecurities is increasing. Recent report says that drone makers are trying amplifying their commercial destinations. They are diversifying the types of drone productions to attract wide range of consumers. May be they are thinking of selling by online booking. Those days are not far away when one may book a drone on amazone.com. So, non-state actors like terrorist groups, drug cartels may have it as there is lack of any regulation regarding the sell and production of drone, so far. Drone needs to be taken as a similar concern as it was taken for chemical and biological weapons. Because this is also a very heinous weapon. That’s why the other name of drone is ‘predator’.

In near future drone could be a serious threat for Bangladesh, as its neighbor India that surrounds Bangladesh almost on every front, owns it. The status of India’s relations with Bangladesh will be main determiner of the use of drones against Bangladesh. India has a common suspicion against Bangladesh for unrest in its seven sisters. Now and then, it claims that there are many hide outs of separatist leaders in Bangladesh. Therefore, Bangladesh needs to be proactive against the whimsical use of drone. It should extend its moral support for those ongoing anti-drone campaigns that are protesting against in many countries.

An abridged version of this article was published on 20th October, 2012