The United States is waiting in the buffet line, and today’s special is Yemen.

The U.S. has been involved in Afghanistan since 2001 as part of the war on terror and Iraq since 2003 as “Operation Iraqi Freedom.”

In 2002, the CIA began drone strikes in Yemen, and just recently the U.S. has increased its drones in Yemen. The drones have been used to target Al-Qaeda affiliates with the help of U.S. and Yemeni intelligence ground forces mostly in southern Yemen.

President Barack Obama has recently said that all U.S. troops in Iraq will return home by the end of the year.

The U.S. should consider an alternative method of targeting Al-Qaeda affiliates in Yemen or leave Yemen altogether.

While “the special” may seem tempting, in the long term, it won’t be.

Fozi Al-Gazzali, a Yemeni-American who attended both CSU East Bay and NYU, said he does not think the increased use of U.S. drones is smart in terms of foreign policy because the U.S. is already involved in two wars on Muslim lands.

“I do not agree with these targeted assassinations, but if they need to happen to keep us safe then I think the more prudent way to go about it would be to use American special forces like the way Osama bin Laden was killed,” Al-Gazzali said.

The U.S. is already involved in too many countries, and deploying more drones may cause more harm than good. The drones are being used to protect the U.S. from possible threats, but at the same time it may be giving the people of Yemen the wrong impression.

“I would go so far to say that it is immoral to subject a civilian population of a very poor country to incessant noise, intimidation and threat of death,” said government professor Patrick Cannon. “The U.S. government arrogantly dismisses the possibility of civilian deaths as collateral damage.”

A drone strike has proven to be somewhat beneficial in the Sept. 30 killing of Yemeni-American Anwar Al-Awlaki, who was involved in Al-Qaeda recruitment and planning attacks on the United States.

“I don’t think this policy or these tactics will change in the near future, however, because of the presidential elections in 2012 and the fact that a strike just killed Anwar Al-Awlaki,” Al-Gazzali said. “The president will continue to allow these killings no matter the collateral damage.”

Ali Abdallah Saleh, Yemen’s president, has been in control of the country for 33 years now. Earlier this year, Yemenis began protesting Saleh’s regime, hoping it will fall after the successes in Tunisia and Egypt.

“If a small boy in Yemen or Afghanistan or Libya sees his family member or friend, who had nothing to do with terrorism, killed by a pilotless destructive machine in the sky he will remember that,” Al-Gazzali said. “He will try to figure out ways how to and who to get his revenge on.”

Perhaps it will help the U.S. in the long run if the Obama administration actively puts pressure on Saleh to step down.

This way, the people of Yemen may change their opinion of the U.S. for the better. This may put a halt to Al-Qaeda recruitment in Yemen and possibly other countries.

However, this was not the first time a drone targeted Al-Awlaki; the first attempt failed a week after Osama bin Laden was killed. So is increasing drone use really the best way to go?

The U.S. needs to get its priorities in order. Fixing problems in this country may be what is better for the U.S. in the long run.

Billions are being spent on other countries, but our economy is hanging on by a thread.

The U.S. should consider stepping out of the buffet line and staying home for dinner.