Drone attacks have played a huge role in the US war against “terror.” Recently, this strategy has been part of a national debate because – what if these attacks are used against American citizens who have turned into Al Qaeda operatives? Even if drones are only used overseas, people still feel the need for checks and balances. I think most Americans are ready to admit that United States is an imperial power, and our controlling the air is a sign of that. Britain was an empire at one point because it controlled the seas and the US is a kind of empire now because we control the air… and that means we can kill anybody from anywhere. Including our own citizens.
Such technological know-how is what makes the US the super power of the world, but we have to examine how this came to be and what is the war we are actually fighting. It is no secret that the US has supported violent dictatorships for well over half a century, with oil as a primary motivating force. The people who live in these dictatorships suffer greatly and are well aware of the US involvement in these regimes. So that is one big motivation for terrorist activity; it is not that people hate the US just for shits and giggles.
But from the US perspective, we believe that we need to be protected from these terrorists, who want to terrorize us with their terror. What is not being discussed is the policy behind the mayhem. The petrodollar. The petrodollar is an agreement that started between the US and Saudi Arabia and then extended to all of OPEC in exchange for weapons and protection. The petrodollar means that oil will be traded in the US dollar, creating an immediate artificial demand. So, as the need for oil increases, so too does the need for US dollars. Our entire economy is dependent on the fact that many countries must have billions of US dollars on reserve to buy oil. The dollar doesn’t have to be backed by gold, because it is backed by liquid gold… oil. And any country that wants to use a different currency to buy oil, like Iraq, we go to war with. Other countries that want to move away from the petrodollar are Iran, Syria, North Korea, and Venezuela. Otherwise known as the axis of Evil.
There are other super powers that are using their own currency, like China, Russia, and India, so you can see how our economy is in a precarious position. I think most people know and understand that war is motivated by money, but the reality that we will forever be at war because of the structuring of our economic system is a truth I think most don’t realize. There is no end in sight, ever. Not until our entire economic system is restructured and reimagined.
So drone attacks are only the symptom of the much greater problem of protecting our economy. It is easier for the political conversation to be focused on the details of warfare rather than the root causes, because the more people are lost in the minutiae the less they will demand an overhaul of the entire system. But the problem is much more meta than it is micro.
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I don’t know why I felt so compelled to write about drones today. Maybe it is because I am obsessed with the TV show Homeland, or maybe I have a need to sometimes feel smart and political. Like, to show people I know stuff, and care about things, or whatever. But maybe geopolitical affairs are on my mind because of this conversation I had that has haunted me ever since.
So my friend Bridget and I were driving to the store with The Munch.
Munch: “I love you auntie Bridget.”
Bridget: “Awww I love you too Munch.”
Munch: “I love you so much Mamma.”
Toni: “I love you sooooo much too, Munch.”
Bridget: “Munch, what is love.”
Munch: “Love is the world.”
Sigh… if she only knew…. Or maybe if we only knew.
