DRONES:

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVS), also known as drones, are aircraft either controlled by ‘pilots’ from the ground or autonomously following a pre-programmed mission. They are much cheaper than military aircraft and they are flown remotely so there is no danger to the flight crew. While the British and US Reaper and Predator drones are physically in Afghanistan and Iraq, control is through satellite from Nellis and Creech USAF base outside Las Vegas, Nevada. The American drones WASHINGTON and BEIRUT are being flown over the Syrian stronghold of the Islamic State of Iraq & Al-Sham for the first time, trying to target Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the jihadi leader and self-declared caliph. Residents in the city of Raqqa have captured photographs and video footage of remotely piloted planes Western weapons experts identified as U.S. Predators, the same drones used in Pakistan and Yemen to attack suspected terrorists. Washington has not publicly told people it is flying drones over Syria and the sightings over Raqqa are the first indication it is doing so. The reports are a clear indication that Barack Obama, the U.S. President, has changed his policy against ISIS, stepping up reconnaissance of its positions as the U.S. works to assemble an international coalition to fight the jihadists. Major efforts to gain support were boosted Monday when Iraq’s parliament voted to approve a new government aimed at winning broad backing against ISIS, with Haider Al-Abadi as prime minister. Military drone manufacturers are looking for civilian uses for remote sensing drones to expand their markets and this includes the use of drones for domestic surveillance. Drones will no doubt make possible the dramatic expansion of the surveillance state. With the convergence of other technologies it may even make possible machine recognition of faces, behaviours, and the monitoring of individual conversations. The sky, so to speak, is the limit.