[spazmaster]

The thing that stood out for me is "Somewhere between 2,500 and 4,000 people have been killed by drone strikes in Pakistan since 2004".

WHAT!? That is so wrong! This stinks and we're making fuss about mathematics. Just read that sentence again.

[Aeolos]

Exactly.

In which freaking world are assassinations without due process legal or even desirable? The mere fact that we are debating whether someone was or wasn't assassinated is a perversion in itself.

Arrest them and try them in a court of justice. End of story.

[ansible]

I will not, in any way, defend the actions of the current programs being run.

However, your statement:

Arrest them and try them in a court of justice. End of story.

Is not at all easy to accomplish. The government of Pakistan doesn't control a significant part of the country.

Add to that the corruption at all levels, and it would be difficult to pursue an arrest warrant effectively. If you try to negotiate your way into the areas where the suspects are, it will take a while (and likely a lot of bribes) and they will hear of it and go into hiding. If you want to ignore all the formalities, and just rush in and grab the suspect, you're effectively mounting a small invasion, which the central government AND the tribal leaders will oppose. So you're back to shooting people again.

Again, I'm not saying what the USA is doing is a good solution, I'm just saying I'm not aware of a good and effective solution at all.

[oafitupa]

Arrest them? They were in freaking Pakistan. Why would you arrest them? You guys are going crazy. Don't be surprised when you travel and realize the world hates you.

[mike_hearn]

He obviously means "send intelligence to the government of Pakistan and ask them to investigate".

[Aeolos]

Thank you for stating the obvious.

Share information about terrorism suspects, arrest them, bring them to justice. Don't go all Rambo, shooting first, asking questions later. That only perpetuates terrorism - "you killed my innocent parents, I'm shall take my revenge" - and the circle of violence continues.

(Plus, it's already been proven that anyone shot is marked as an "Enemy Killed in Action" posthumously, just to cover the perpetrators asses.)

[MikeNomad]

I already know parts of the world hate me, because I come from the country that engages in drone strikes.

[binarymax]

I think the parent means arrest the criminals responsible for killing thousands of people with drones based on a faulty algorithm.

[Aeolos]

I meant both, in fact.

[Vivtek]

We're making a fuss about mathematics because this program is sold on the basis of the infallibility of mathematical tools. Especially for non-technical people of a certain age, this is a very persuasive argument (just watch any movie with a computer in it made in the 60's or 70's - computers are magical instruments that find truth where mere humans cannot).