TOW #2: Nonfiction - Drones and the Democracy Disconnect

Recently, there has been at least one item on the nightly news every day about the situation in Iraq and the rise of ISIS. We are all too familiar with both the brutality and the sadness surrounding the situation. President Obama has even called for a new battle front in the area, due to the severity of the terrorism. This week, a New York Times op-ed piece, written by Firmin DeBrabander, details the possible use of drones in the conflict. DeBrabander is an associate professor at the Maryland Institute College of Art, and he has also written a book about the gun rights movement. This op-ed piece, titled Drones and the Democracy Disconnect, critiques the use of drones in the conflict because they distance the general public from the events of the war. The op-ed piece was published at the perfect time, just after the President announced intervention in the conflict. Considering how prevalent the topic of ISIS has been in the media lately, it is a timely article meant to persuade the public about the author’s views on the conflict. The public, in this case, represents the citizen of the US, all of whom would be affected if the conflict were to occur. The author uses many techiniques to convince the reader of his point on drones. For example, he appeals to the logos of the reader early in the piece. He states, “The point of these technologies was the same, to gain an asymmetrical advantage against adversaries and reduce risk" (DeBrabander par. 7). This sentence discusses the advantages of using drones in the conflict. Before this, he also discusses other technological advancements like the tank and gun to show how drones fit in to the timeline. Despite making a logical argument for drones in this sentence, DeBrabander merely uses it as refute for his later statements. In a later paragraph, DeBrabander discusses how modern drones are merely distancing the public from a war. To do this, he draws parallels with Machiavelli, by stating, "Machiavelli was highly sensitive to the role military glory plays in inspiring the public..." (DeBrabander par. 11). This connection to Machivelli shows the strength of keeping the public close to the conflict. Later, the author discusses the success of Machiavelli, and how the US should also take the public into consideration when entering a conflict and using drones. Through his use of logical argument, DeBrabander is able to convince the audience of the distancing that occurs with using drones in a conflict, and urges to use them cautiously throughout the conflict.