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Kampala, Uganda – I was elated this week to see some 100 countries gather in Oslo, Norway to sign a ban on cluster bombs. Having dedicated much of the last five years to researching the politics of clearing landmines and cluster munitions from war zones, I was inspired to see the world make a stand against these pernicious weapons.
At the same time, however, I was disappointed that the Bush administration steered clear of Oslo and even tried, unsuccessfully, to keep Afghanistan away too. Like their attitude to the landmine ban, they seem desperate to hang on to any weapon, even if its military value is outweighed by the humanitarian impact on innocent people.
Cluster munitions are weapons that when fired from a rocket or dropped from an airplane release hundreds of small “bomblets” scattered over a large area. It is the shotgun principle on a much bigger, more destructive scale – combatants can attack whole areas rather than zero in on individual targets.
But it is this “wide area effect” that makes cluster munitions so indiscriminate. The nonprofit Handicap International estimates that 98 percent of cluster munitions casualties are civilians. With no way to focus on a particular target, it is almost inevitable that cluster munitions kill innocent people.
In addition, some 10 to 30 percent of cluster bomblets fail to explode on impact, leaving hazardously unstable ordnance – de facto landmines – in the ground, killing and injuring civilians long after the guns of war fall silent.
At the moment, Barack Obama’s incoming team is sitting on the fence, saying it will “carefully review” the cluster bomb treaty. Obama has an admirable legislative record on arms control issues and has voted for restrictions on U.S. cluster munition use.
But I am afraid he will be averse to providing true leadership on this issue. Like many Democrats, especially ones who were against the Iraq war, he will be nervous about seeming “soft” on security. It is up to us citizens to create the political climate that will enable Obama to take the right stand.
Learn about the issue by visiting the Web sites of the US Campaign to Ban Landmines (http://www.banminesusa.org) and Cluster Munition Convention (http://www.stopclustermunitions.org). Sign the ‘People’s Treaty’ – an online petition calling on governments to join the cluster bomb ban (http://www.minesactioncanada.org/peoples_treaty/index.html). And write to your elected officials, including President-elect Obama. Tell them you believe cluster bombs’ indiscriminate effects threaten civilians’ right to life.
Signing the Cluster Munition Convention would demonstrate to the world that Americans are again willing to listen to their concerns, show moral leadership and display humanitarian restraint when using their power.
Kampala, Uganda – I was elated this week to see some 100 countries gather in Oslo, Norway to sign a ban on cluster bombs. Having dedicated much of the last five years to researching the politics of clearing landmines and cluster munitions from war zones, I was inspired to see the world make a stand against these pernicious weapons.
At the same time, however, I was disappointed that the Bush administration steered clear of Oslo and even tried, unsuccessfully, to keep Afghanistan away too. Like their attitude to the landmine ban, they seem desperate to hang on to any weapon, even if its military value is outweighed by the humanitarian impact on innocent people.
Cluster munitions are weapons that when fired from a rocket or dropped from an airplane release hundreds of small “bomblets” scattered over a large area. It is the shotgun principle on a much bigger, more destructive scale – combatants can attack whole areas rather than zero in on individual targets.
But it is this “wide area effect” that makes cluster munitions so indiscriminate. The nonprofit Handicap International estimates that 98 percent of cluster munitions casualties are civilians. With no way to focus on a particular target, it is almost inevitable that cluster munitions kill innocent people.
In addition, some 10 to 30 percent of cluster bomblets fail to explode on impact, leaving hazardously unstable ordnance – de facto landmines – in the ground, killing and injuring civilians long after the guns of war fall silent.
At the moment, Barack Obama’s incoming team is sitting on the fence, saying it will “carefully review” the cluster bomb treaty. Obama has an admirable legislative record on arms control issues and has voted for restrictions on U.S. cluster munition use.
But I am afraid he will be averse to providing true leadership on this issue. Like many Democrats, especially ones who were against the Iraq war, he will be nervous about seeming “soft” on security. It is up to us citizens to create the political climate that will enable Obama to take the right stand.
Learn about the issue by visiting the Web sites of the US Campaign to Ban Landmines (http://www.banminesusa.org) and Cluster Munition Convention (http://www.stopclustermunitions.org). Sign the ‘People’s Treaty’ – an online petition calling on governments to join the cluster bomb ban (http://www.minesactioncanada.org/peoples_treaty/index.html). And write to your elected officials, including President-elect Obama. Tell them you believe cluster bombs’ indiscriminate effects threaten civilians’ right to life.
Signing the Cluster Munition Convention would demonstrate to the world that Americans are again willing to listen to their concerns, show moral leadership and display humanitarian restraint when using their power.
