Posted on 01/16/2013 3:33:08 PM PST by Seizethecarp
SHOULD the secretary-general of the United Nations, Ban ki-Moon, get his way, a newcomer will appear in the skies over eastern Congo. He has asked the Security Council to approve unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, for use in the troubled region.
Supporters of their use, including the UN's head of peacekeeping operations, Hervé Ladsous, face a diplomatic battle to get their hands on any drones. China and Russia are reluctant to back their deployment. Rwanda, which has one of the rotating seats on the Security Council, and is accused of meddling in Congo, has also opposed their use. However, America, France and more quietly Britain all support the use of unarmed, intelligence-gathering drones.
The UN first requested drone technology from the Pentagon in 2009 and was refused. Since then the cost of UAVs has dropped and the American monopoly of the technology has ended. Top-of-the-line attack drones, like the American-made Reaper, cost $30m each, but cheaper observer drones are being sold commercially for $50,000. Ten years ago few experts imagined the UN using attack helicopters. They are now a regular in the peacekeeping arsenal.
The potential uses of UAVs stretch beyond Congo, monitoring remote areas like the border between Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire, for example, or troop movements on the frontier between the Sudans. The stumbling block is the need to ask affected governments for permission to deploy the technology. Rwanda's response—"Africa shall not become a laboratory for intelligence devices from overseas," said its ambassador to the UN—suggests they will not be keen.
(Excerpt) Read more at economist.com ...
I have a better idea.
Close the United Nations down.
Completely
Request denied.
Why don’t you Sec Gen ban guns over Congo instead? That should ‘reduce gun violence’ according to our elites.
“Ten years ago few experts imagined the UN using attack helicopters. They are now a regular in the peacekeeping arsenal.”
Just a matter of time before the UN has armed drones, IMO.
You just KNOW that tyrant would like them over America, too.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.