The U.S. drone programme, imperial air power and Pakistan’s federally administered tribal areas

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article argues that the conduct of state violence by the U.S. drone programme against FATA, with roots in racist and Orientalist discourse, is a contemporary manifestation of imperial air power. While the U.S. drone programme has had a devastating effect on the civilians residing within the programme’s operational areas, this article will focus on Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). With its own colonial history and position as the epicentre for U.S. drone strikes throughout the War on Terror, this region’s civilian population has been caught in the crossfire. Though incredibly valuable, the current literature pertaining to the tribal region is largely isolated from colonial realities, which are necessary to understanding the function of U.S. drones within a contemporary context. This article will examine the various levels of civilian harm endured by FATA civilians by analysing these experiences alongside the imperial nature and neo-colonial emergence of drones, as well as the region’s colonial history. Although global attention has shifted away from this region as the U.S. drone programme has expanded into other areas including Yemen and Somalia, an understanding of the FATA civilian experience illuminates patterns of imperial air power and mechanisms of control actively weaponised against various populations.