The United States has a penchant for using drones to launch air attacks against countries like Pakistan and Yemen. In fact, the use of drone has been very destructive and burdensome to the people of the target countries and to the Americans themselves. Not only do these attacks leave hundreds of innocent civilians dead, but they have also claimed the lives of many Americans as well. The US government attempts to justify the use of drones by claiming that it has prevented terrorism. In fact, to the contrary of this claim, drone attacks might have achieved exactly the opposite effects. These drones have opened the door to invasions of privacy and to unconstitutional espionage on the American public. Two severe negative consequences have resulted from drone usage: the loss of US reputation and good-will in the international arena and the destruction of privacy of the general public without the public’s knowledge.

The first consequence is the loss of soft power from sponsorship of a drone attack. First, the Pakistan’s Internal Minister Rehman Malik was quoted as saying, “Drone missiles cause collateral damage. A few militants are killed, but the majority of victims are innocent citizens.” The fact stated by Malik shows that despite the ostentatious claim of anti-terrorism, drone attacks have inevitably caused more harm than good. They are not only an egregious infringement on the sovereign powers of countries like Pakistan, but they have also killed many innocent lives. These attacks have also severely affected the image of the United States in these countries. The cause great animosity and hostility among the families and friends of the victims against the United States and the beliefs that the United States represents. In fact, such brooding hatred against the U.S. only makes it easier for terrorists to enlist new recruits, thus negating the slim benefits of drone strikes in killing a few militants. The international community also condemns these destructive attacks. The United Nations chief of Rights Navi Pillay from August 20th of 2013 states that she is “seriously concerned about human rights implications for the protection of civilians of armed drone strikes carried out in the context of counter-terrorism and military operations including in Pakistan, Yemen and Gaza.” Her sentiment speaks for the rest of the world which does not endorse the U.S. usage of drones. In a study conducted by the Pew Research Center, only three countries favored the usage of drones: Israel, the United States, and Kenya.

But that is not the only negative consequence of the usage of drones. The second negative consequence comes from how the US government could potentially employ drones domestically. Drones are nearly undetectable. They can be used for surveillance of civilian households without the household’s knowledge or consent. The fact that this is possible and there are no specific laws regulating such actions is an outrage on the public. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, “Rules must be put in place to ensure that we can enjoy the benefits of this new technology without bringing us closer to a ‘surveillance society,’” So far, there has not been any legislation that would limit the usage of drones. The scariest part of all is that even if there is such legislation, it is quite possible for the government to sidestep any such restrictions in the name of national security. This is especially important now, in the aftermath of the NSA controversy, in which it was discovered that the National Security Agency had secretly collected the phone records and internet searches of not just US citizens, but dignitaries in other countries. This new and unknown surveillance could be used against any individual without giving him or her fair notice or right to a fair trial. Such violation of individual rights constitutes an “unreasonable search” under the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The conclusion is to seek a ban on drone strikes effective immediately. Such a ban is the only way to prevent the decline of US power and to stop the transformation of the US into a police society. These two dire consequences are devastating on American people. We need to stop drone usage as soon as possible.