Afghanistan

Drone Strikes

Week of February 11, 2013

In the News: Drone Strikes

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), or drones, used in warfare to kill militants have recently come under intense public scrutiny as John Brennan, President Obama’s nominee for director of the C.I.A. and current counterterrorism advisor, met with the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence for his confirmation hearing. A 16-page White House paper obtained by NBC News outlines what the Administration deems to be the legal use of drone strikes against suspected Al Qaeda operatives, including those who are American citizens.

 

The Age of Airpower
By Martin van Creveld. Public Affairs, 2011
Features the following chapter: “Missiles, Satellites, and Drones”
Call Number: UG630 .V285 2011

Area 51: An Uncensored History of America’s Top Secret Military Base
By Annie Jacobsen. Little, Brown and Co., 2011
Features the following chapter: “Dull, Dirty, and Dangerous Requires Drones”
Call Number: UA26 .N4 J33 2011

The CIA at War: Inside the Secret Campaign against Terror
By Ronald Kessler. St. Martin’s Press, 2003
From the book’s summary: “The CIA at War tells the inside story of how Tenet, a son of Greek immigrants, turned around the CIA from a pathetic, risk-averse outfit to one that has rolled up three thousand terrorists since 9/11, that was critically important to winning in Afghanistan and Iraq, and that now kills terrorists with its Predator drone aircraft.”
Call Number: JK468 .I6 K42 2003 Continue reading

In the News: The “Cost” of War in the Middle East

Week of December 7, 2009

News Item: This past week President Obama announced his decision to deploy 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan which will eventually bring levels close to 98,000. Public opinion polls indicate Americans are losing confidence in the administration’s handling of the war, but military experts believe more troops are needed to succeed in the region. Since 2002, U.S. efforts in the Middle East have put an even larger strain on the federal deficit and on the very soldiers who have now spent repeated tours of duty in the region.

Air Power Against Terror: America’s Conduct of Operation Enduring Freedom
By Benjamin S. Lambeth. RAND Corp., 2005
Call Number: DS371.412 .L36 2005

Blood Money: Wasted Billions, Lost Lives, and Corporate Greed in Iraq (DVD)
Directed by Leo Telling. Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 2008
Call Number: DS79.76 .M47 2006

Breaking the Silence: Truth and Lies in the War on Terror (DVD)
Directed by Steve Connelly and John Pilger. Bullfrog Films, 2004
Call Number: E183.8 .A3 B732 2004 (Boca Raton Media Center)

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In the News: Afghanistan

Week of November 2, 2009

News Item: On Monday, November 2, Afghan officials declared President Hamid Karzai the winner of the presidential runoff elections after his opponent, Abdullah Abdullah, dropped out of the race a day earlier. Dr. Abdullah believed a transparent election was not possible if changes were not made in the Independent Election Commission. Meanwhile, President Barack Obama continues to contemplate whether or not to send as many as 40,000 additional military personnel to Afghanistan. Lastly, October marked the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since the war began eight years ago.

Afghan Women: Identity and Invasion
By Elaheh Rostami-Povey. Zed Books, 2007
Call Number: HQ1735.6 .R67 2007

Afghanistan’s Uncertain Transition from Turmoil to Normalcy
By Barnett R. Rubin. Council on Foreign Relations, 2006
Call Number: DS371.4 .R82 2006

After the Taliban: Life and Security in Rural Afghanistan
By Neamatollah Nojumi, Dyan Mazurana, and Elizabeth Stites. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2009
Call Number: HN670.6. A8 N65 2009

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