Momentum for a comprehensive ban similar to that adopted for land mines in 1997 grew after the 2006 war in Lebanon, when Israel deployed large quantities of cluster munitions, which release a spray of more than 200 small, harmless-looking bomblets that often don't explode until long after a conflict is over.
International investigators said that at least 200 civilians were killed or injured in Lebanon as a result of cluster bombs after the war.
I'm sure the last thing the United States was thinking in 2006 as it expedited weapon deliveries and worked tirelessly to block a ceasefire in order to give Israel time to seed southern Lebanon with hundreds of thousands of cluster bombs was, hey, maybe this will lead directly to an overwhelmingly-supported international ban on cluster munitions! Yet here we are, and it's hard to imagine a darker cloud with a brighter lining. The US and Israel are of course rabidly opposed, but as Marc Garlasco of Human Rights watch points out, the very fact of the ban's existence "is really going to stigmatize the weapon and its use in the future"—even for the barbarian nations that refuse to accept it.
And I never expected I'd find myself having to admire Gordon Brown, but he deserves enormous credit for this:
Though the Bush administration has lobbied hard against the treaty and many U.S. and British officials consider cluster bombs valuable weapons, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown overruled elements of his own military and threw his support behind the prohibition. Brown's decision cleared the way for an agreement that supporters said would lead to the removal of cluster munitions from arsenals around the world.
There'll be bitter tears in the Bush and Clinton households (among others), no doubt, but for the rest of the world this is a great day.
sweet. it won't stop rogue terrorist states like the US or Israel from using them, but even more people will understand what lawless POS's these states are.
Posted by: ran | Saturday, May 31, 2008 at 10:49 PM