President Trump’s Drone Stance: Will He Continue Obama’s Drone Policy?

To drone or not to drone?

One of the most controversial policies of President Barack Obama's administration has been its drone policy. According to estimates, Obama’s use of drones killed up to 4,666 people including 765 civilians. And now with Donald Trump set to take over the White House, uncertainty remain over how he would use the technology.

Trump, even before winning the election, made statements about “bombing the s--- out of ISIS.” Based on such statements, it can b expected that the Islamic State group (also called ISIS) will be bombed even more heavily under his administration. The U.S. military uses remotely piloted drones to bomb targets. They have been mostly used in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Syria.

Chris Woods, who helped establish the Bureau of Investigative Journalism in London, told the Independent: “Obama warned us during his own campaign trail back in 2008 that he would escalate drone warfare. He mentioned approximately 30 times that he would take the war against al Qaeda to Pakistan. That’s why we have to worry about Donald Trump. You have to listen to have [sic] he has already said. He’s already said he might deliberately target the families of senior Isis militants — which would be a war crime.”

He also indicated the situation could become dangerous due to Trump's lack of experience in international politics.

“Trump has no insider experience and I think he has been taking that at face value. Maybe in Trump’s mind when he hears that bombs don’t kill civilians he thinks he can just blitz cities without any collateral damage.”

For increased strikes, Trump would need to raise funds from Congress, which is controlled by his own Republican party.