An article GlobalSecurity.org published last September defends [drone] technology:

[D]rones are considered one of the most sophisticated of modern-day weapons — more precise than regular missiles — and have the ability to verify targets without risking the lives of pilots. A recent study conducted by the New America Foundation shows that … [...]

‘I have a First Amendment right to free speech!’ is the refrain of legion politicians, pundits, town hall debaters, and Internet commenters. The charge that said right has been usurped is frequently leveled in cases of voluntary association between private individuals and entities. The imbroglio following MSNBC’s termination of Pat Buchanan earlier this year was a good example. [...]

Like most totalitarian regimes, Iran’s leadership is concerned first and foremost with self-preservation and survival. President Ahmadinejad and Grand Ayatollah Khamenei may like to maintain the revolutionary national creation myth by defying the West. Yet in the final analysis, both men surely understand that the deployment of an Iranian nuclear weapon would take away [...]