No, this isn't George Lucas' newest addition to the "Star Wars" film family. This drone war began with President George W. Bush's administration and has thrived under President Barack Obama's administration.
While this technology may be useful for the military, it is being used in a way that's detrimental to America and many innocent civilians.
The use of drones to expand the war in countries where we suspect terrorists has grown immensely since 9/11. According to Peter Bergen of CNN, during the first two years of the Obama administration, drones were used for targeted assassinations once every four days. If the tables were turned, I highly doubt the people of America would like China drone-bombing our friends within our borders.
Drones have been highly sporadic in successfully hitting their targets. According to a report published by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, since 2004, drone missions in Pakistan have killed 400 to 800 civilians. The Daily Mail states that American drone strikes are killing 49 people for every one known terrorist.
A result of this careless use of technology will be "blowback," which we have seen many times since our meddling in the Middle East began in the 1950s.
The drone wars will be coming to a sky near you within the next decade. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, 30,000 drones will be flying in American airspace.
Doing what? Who knows, though one thing is certain: If this was a "Star Wars" movie, Yoda would advise, "the drone wars, begun they have."
CHRISTOPHER D'AGOSTINO
Malta