Retired General Flynn continues his criticisms of the Obama adminstration, calling its drone program a "failed strategy." (Photo: U.S. Air Force/Lt Col Leslie Pratt/public domain)
Jul 17, 2015
President Barack Obama's former top military intelligence official Lt. General Michael Flynn has denounced the administration's drone program as counterproductive and a "failed strategy."
Flynn was director of the Defense Intelligence Agency from 2012 until his retirement in 2014, and has been described by investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill as "Stanley McChrystal's intelligence czar at the Joint Special Operations Command at the height of their Murder Incorporated operation in Iraq."
Flynn made the comments in a forthcoming interview with Al Jazeera English's Head to Head program.
According to excerpts made available by Al Jazeera, Flynn said "there should be a different approach, absolutely" on drones. "When you drop a bomb from a drone... you are going to cause more damage than you are going to cause good."
"What we have is this continued investment in conflict," he said. "The more weapons we give, the more bombs we drop, that just... fuels the conflict."
He also said the U.S. invasion of Iraq was "a strategic mistake," given the rise of ISIS in the country. "We definitely put fuel on a fire," he said, adding that "history will not be kind to the decisions that were made certainly in 2003."
But Flynn's new critique of the administration is not an anomaly. As Foreign Policy notes, since his retirement, Flynn "has been in the vanguard of those criticizing the president's policies in the Middle East."
In an op-ed in Politico Magazine in February, for example, he criticized what he portrayed as the administration's lack of decisive action against ISIS. "It would be foolish for us to wait until [violent Islamists pose an existential threat before taking decisive action," he wrote, adding, "we must engage the violent Islamists wherever they are, drive them from their safe havens and kill them."
And in an interview with Fox News in March, Flynn described Obama's Middle East policy as one of "willful ignorance."
The Head to Head interview with Flynn is set to air July 31.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
President Barack Obama's former top military intelligence official Lt. General Michael Flynn has denounced the administration's drone program as counterproductive and a "failed strategy."
Flynn was director of the Defense Intelligence Agency from 2012 until his retirement in 2014, and has been described by investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill as "Stanley McChrystal's intelligence czar at the Joint Special Operations Command at the height of their Murder Incorporated operation in Iraq."
Flynn made the comments in a forthcoming interview with Al Jazeera English's Head to Head program.
According to excerpts made available by Al Jazeera, Flynn said "there should be a different approach, absolutely" on drones. "When you drop a bomb from a drone... you are going to cause more damage than you are going to cause good."
"What we have is this continued investment in conflict," he said. "The more weapons we give, the more bombs we drop, that just... fuels the conflict."
He also said the U.S. invasion of Iraq was "a strategic mistake," given the rise of ISIS in the country. "We definitely put fuel on a fire," he said, adding that "history will not be kind to the decisions that were made certainly in 2003."
But Flynn's new critique of the administration is not an anomaly. As Foreign Policy notes, since his retirement, Flynn "has been in the vanguard of those criticizing the president's policies in the Middle East."
In an op-ed in Politico Magazine in February, for example, he criticized what he portrayed as the administration's lack of decisive action against ISIS. "It would be foolish for us to wait until [violent Islamists pose an existential threat before taking decisive action," he wrote, adding, "we must engage the violent Islamists wherever they are, drive them from their safe havens and kill them."
And in an interview with Fox News in March, Flynn described Obama's Middle East policy as one of "willful ignorance."
The Head to Head interview with Flynn is set to air July 31.
President Barack Obama's former top military intelligence official Lt. General Michael Flynn has denounced the administration's drone program as counterproductive and a "failed strategy."
Flynn was director of the Defense Intelligence Agency from 2012 until his retirement in 2014, and has been described by investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill as "Stanley McChrystal's intelligence czar at the Joint Special Operations Command at the height of their Murder Incorporated operation in Iraq."
Flynn made the comments in a forthcoming interview with Al Jazeera English's Head to Head program.
According to excerpts made available by Al Jazeera, Flynn said "there should be a different approach, absolutely" on drones. "When you drop a bomb from a drone... you are going to cause more damage than you are going to cause good."
"What we have is this continued investment in conflict," he said. "The more weapons we give, the more bombs we drop, that just... fuels the conflict."
He also said the U.S. invasion of Iraq was "a strategic mistake," given the rise of ISIS in the country. "We definitely put fuel on a fire," he said, adding that "history will not be kind to the decisions that were made certainly in 2003."
But Flynn's new critique of the administration is not an anomaly. As Foreign Policy notes, since his retirement, Flynn "has been in the vanguard of those criticizing the president's policies in the Middle East."
In an op-ed in Politico Magazine in February, for example, he criticized what he portrayed as the administration's lack of decisive action against ISIS. "It would be foolish for us to wait until [violent Islamists pose an existential threat before taking decisive action," he wrote, adding, "we must engage the violent Islamists wherever they are, drive them from their safe havens and kill them."
And in an interview with Fox News in March, Flynn described Obama's Middle East policy as one of "willful ignorance."
The Head to Head interview with Flynn is set to air July 31.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.