In a forthcoming interview with Al Jazeera English set to air on July 31st, a former United States general—who helped craft some of the most controversial tactics in America’s foreign wars—warned that drone strikes create terrorists. Retired Army General Mike Flynn also criticized American torture tactics and condemned the United States for the integral role its foreign policy has played in spurring the creation of the notorious Islamic State.
Flynn was a top intelligence official following 9/11. He worked for the Pentagon’s internal intelligence agency—the Defense Intelligence Agency—before conflict with Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper forced him to resign a year ahead of schedule. Following his resignation, Flynn became an outspoken opponent of Obama’s foreign policy because, in spite of the president’sexpansion of military operations, the general believed Obama had not been sufficiently aggressive in battling the Islamic State.
Now, however, the hawkish general is open about his concerns about the American military’s role in the world. In his interview with Mehdi Hasan of Al Jazeera, he addresses the drone war, which grew considerably under President Obama:
“When you drop a bomb from a drone … you are going to cause more damage than you are going to cause good,” he said.
When Hasan suggests drone strikes create more terrorists than they kill, he responds, “I don’t disagree with that,” calling the drone program a “failed strategy.”