COMMENTARY: U.S. Government Must Reassess Its Use of Drones

On June 25, 2012, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter -- in a New York Times Op-Ed discourse -- accused the Obama administration of sanctioning the "widespread abuse of human rights" by authorizing countless drone (unmanned aircraft) strikes to kill suspected terrorists.

Moreover, Carter denounced the Obama Administration for "clearly violating" 10 of 30 articles of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In other words, the United States has been abandoning its role as the global champion of human rights.

We agree with Carter's view that the Obama administration is violating the UN's code of human rights. We also believe that the drones must be used sparingly, in order to avoid killing innocent people.

The fact is that more than 1,000 American drone strikes since 2009 have killed thousands of people, many of whom were innocent women and children. Such attacks would have been considered inhumane -- and would never have been allowed to occur -- in previous years.

It is now time for the United States government to reassess its use of drones -- especially as their use may result in killing innocent people.

After all, the United States -- since the early days of its founding -- has been known for cherishing the human rights of its citizens, as well as the rights of citizens of many other nations.

Indeed, it would behoove the United States to continue to adhere to this cherished human rights principle for the well-being of humanity -- today and ad infinitum.