AProudNavyVeteran69 Loc: Burien,Washington

US Should Stop Making (and Selling) Cowards' Bombs
by
César Chelala
2 Comments

Two U.S.-made BLU-108 canisters, one with two skeet (submunitions) still attached, found in the al-Amar area of al-Safraa in Saada governorate, northern Yemen after an attack on April 27. (Photo: © 2015 Ole Solvang/Human Rights Watch)

The continuous use of cluster bombs -many of them manufactured by the US- in several conflicts around the world, shows a disregard for human rights and tarnishes the image of those countries that make, sell, and use them. Because of the high number of civilians who are frequently their victims—including children who unknowingly pick them up—they should more appropriately be called “Cowards’ bombs”.

Cluster bombs eject explosive bomblets (little bombs) designed to k**l personnel and destroy vehicles over a wide area. Unexploded bomblets can continue k*****g or maiming civilians long after a conflict has ended, and are very costly to find and remove. In Vietnam, for example, approximately 300 people are still k**led annually by unexploded ordnance.

Nations that ratify the Convention on Cluster Munitions adopted in Dublin, Ireland, in May 2008, are prohibited from using them. This Convention entered into force and became binding international law on 1 August 2010. The Convention on Cluster Munitions” bans the stockpiling, use and t***sfer of virtually all existing cluster bombs, and provides for the clearing up of unexploded munitions.

As of October 2015, a total of 118 states have joined the Convention, as 98 parties and 20 Signatories. Many of the world’s major military powers, including the United States, Russia, Brazil and China, are not signatories of that treaty. The treaty’s obligations became legally binding after 30 states ratified the convention, and subsequently for all other ratifying states.

In May 2008, then-Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Stephen Mull stated that the U.S. military relies upon cluster munitions as an important part of their defense strategy. “U.S. forces simply cannot fight by design or by doctrine without holding out at least the possibility of using cluster munitions,” he said with untrembling voice.

Since the creation of the United Nations in 1945, at least 30 countries have produced cluster munitions, among them China, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, North Korea, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. As of November 2015, at least 61 countries have stockpiles of cluster munitions.

26 countries have subscribed to the Wellington Declaration, agreeing in principle that their stockpiles of cluster munitions should be destroyed. Despite these lofty declarations of intent, however, at least 17 countries have used cluster munitions in recent times. Among those countries are France, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Netherlands, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sudan, Syria, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Even though all weapons are dangerous, cluster bombs are a particular threat to civilians because they affect a wide area and leave behind a significant number of unexploded bomblets, which can maim civilians –many of them children- for decades after the end of a conflict.

Because of the high number of civilians k**led or maimed by these munitions their use has been condemned by many groups and organizations such as the United Nations, the Red Cross, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the Cluster Munition Coalition, and Doctors Without Borders.

Handicap International, which since 2005 has collected hundreds of thousands of signatures to support its campaign to ban these weapons, says that 98 percent of their recorded cluster munitions casualties are civilians, and 27 percent among them are children.

Adding to questionable practices by international banks, Bank Track, an international network of NGOs specializing in control of financial institutions, many major banks and other financial corporations either financed directly, or provided financial services to companies producing cluster munitions in the period 2005-2012. Pax Christi, a Netherlands-based NGO, estimated that at least 137 financial institutions financed cluster munition production. Out of these 137 institutions, 63 were based in the U.S. and 18 in the European Union.

In the meantime, cluster munitions continue to be used, as was repeatedly denounced in Syria. The last reported use of these munitions is the war against the Houti forces in Yemen conducted by Saudi Arabia with U.S. support. Although Saudi Arabia has denied using them, Human Rights Watch has stated that it has evidence that cluster bombs provided by the US have been used by that country. As long as the US continues making and selling these weapons, it cannot claim it adheres to basic human rights principles.

http://www.commondreams.com

That's just what America should do, and stop being so stupid and selling these awful dangerous Bombs. They are very dangerous!!!!!

BigMike Loc: yerington nv

Sure as hell no one should have them but US! That's the problem with the Establishment being owned by international interests that profit from war and the rebuilding after...it's a great way to move mountains of fiat cash wherever you want! :evil:

Er...that's why we're gonna get the Establishment!

MarvinSussman

Thanks for the info.

AProudNavyVeteran69 Loc: Burien,Washington

:thumbdown: It's going to get America into more trouble, and these weapons will fall into the wrong hands!!!!

BigMike Loc: yerington nv

You could say that about a number of weapons...shoulder fired missiles for instance. No matter the weapon, we should not be arming clamheads all over the planet! It would also be advisable to not walk out in the middle of an engagement helpfully leaving the crazies a bunch of new toys!

I think that megalomaniac sonofab***h did that to help those bastards!

lpnmajor Loc: Arkansas

The US also refused to limit APM's, anti personnel mines, but still criticizes other Nations for using them. This is just another, in a large series of examples of American arrogance. The US desires to dictate to the rest of the world what they find acceptable/unacceptable, but refuses to be bound by the same criteria.

This is the fundamental flaw in our foreign policy, in that we demand cooperation with our desires, while refusing to cooperate with others. If it isn't our idea or our plan, then we ain't playing. It isn't a question of our sovereign rights, it's a question of common sense - which no longer has any relation to what we do or don't do. We cannot expect the world to bow to our superiority - because we are not superior, just phenomenally stupid.

No country can bully it's way to greatness - but the USA sure is trying like hell - and providing fodder for our enemies every time we do that. We CAN get the job done, without APM's and cluster munitions, we just refuse to - because we're Americans and nobody tells us what we may or may not do. Then, we wonder why we are alone, but everyone else knows, it's because we're bullies and international a$$holes.

AProudNavyVeteran69 Loc: Burien,Washington

:thumbup: You are right!!! BigMike!!!

AProudNavyVeteran69 Loc: Burien,Washington

You are very welcome MarvinSussman!!