There is often a tension in counter-terrorism between the short term and the long term. The former is driven by immediacy and the desire for tangible results that can be trumpeted to the media, political elite and the general public. Barack Obama made it clear in the 2008 presidential campaign that he would pursue al-Qaeda ruthlessly. As part of this approach, his administration escalated drone attacks in Pakistan immediately upon taking office. In Obama’s first year in office alone, the United States carried out more drone strikes in Pakistan than in Bush’s entire second term. While drones are hailed by some as an effective counter-terrorism tool, concerns have been expressed. Some worry that killing instead of capturing terrorist reduces essential intelligence. Others, including the then US ambassador to Pakistan, warn that the drone attacks might undermine long range efforts at achieving a lasting stability in the region that would fundamentally undermine al-Qaeda. This paper will examine the implications of the Obama administration’s drone policy for American counter-terrorism abroad but also for the domestic scene. Increasingly, the terrorism threat to the US comes not from 9/11-style attack but from “low intensity” terrorism involving American Muslims, such as the failed Times Square bomber, with connections to areas where drone attacks are occurring. Ultimately, the paper will argue, the drone attacks represent a major risk to American security, particularly by fuelling the alienation and anger that can lead to terrorism.
