A great day for humanity

I don't want to let this day go by without offering my respect and thanks to the thousands of people who've achieved a tremendous victory for human rights...:

"This is a historic day when a majority of states are committing to ban cluster munitions, making a new international norm that will make a considerable difference for thousands and thousands of people all over the world," Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said after signing the treaty.  ...

Over two days, around 100 countries -- including Britain, Canada, France and Germany -- are to sign the treaty that was finalised in Dublin in May, with the final number of signatory states only to be known at the end of the ceremony on Thursday.

...and particularly to people like this, who've reacted to their own pain and loss by working to prevent anyone else from suffering the same fate:

Afghanistan was initially reluctant to join the pact — which the United States and Russia have refused to support — but agreed to after lobbying by victims maimed by cluster munitions, including 17-year-old Soraj Ghulan Habib. The teen, who uses a wheelchair, met with his country's ambassador to Norway, Jawed Ludin, at a two-day signing conference in Oslo.

"I explained to the ambassador my situation, and that the people of Afghanistan wanted a ban," Habib, who said he was crippled by a cluster bomb seven years ago, told The Associated Press.

Speaking through an interpreter, Habib said the ambassador called Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who agreed to change his stance on the treaty.

"Today is a historic day," Habib declared.

Yes it is.  And it's a reminder that despite all efforts to the contrary, the world is slowly becoming a more civilized place.

Comments

[Mike]

the world is slowly becoming a more civilized place

Too bad it's happening so slowly that most of us will likely be dead before much longer. But, hey....

[cemmcs]

Thank God! There's something positive!

[LadyVetinari]

Good for the rest of the world. Shame on us Americans.

[John Caruso]

Yeah, but I'm used to being ashamed of this country nearly every waking minute, so that's no big change. I decided to ignore the expected holdouts and go the entirely-positive route on the posting because I'm glad to see the world moving forward without us.

[KDelphi]

I am NOT trying to be "negative"--but, it is negative that we, so far, will not sign it. This guy, who probably works for a military contractor or the Pentagon, said this on truth dig.

By Bob Bentley, December 3 at 11:11 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

"Within their admittedly limited role, cluster munitions are highly effective. During the height of the Cold War, when so many commentators both civil and military fully expected hordes of Soviet tanks to pour through the Fulda Gap, cluster-delivered bombs, mines and so on were seen as a vital force multiplier.
Yet now we have treaties banning their manufacture and use. But I must ask, who introduced these documents? Nations able to manufacture effective cluster munitions of their own, or simply those who wish to ensure that such weapons would not be used against them? Making ‘cluster-bombs’ is really no more difficult than napalm, but getting it right, such that a consistent, repeatable pattern occurs with every drop, is far more difficult.
Therefore, I should like to introduce a weapons limitation proposal of my own. Might I suggest that a complete, 5-year moritorium be placed on the manufacture and deployment of all quantum-compression, anti-matter-based Planet Crackers? After all, I can’t make one, so no one else should either"

We should all ask Obama to AT LEAST do some stuff like this.

[SteveB]

But I must ask, who introduced these documents? Nations able to manufacture effective cluster munitions of their own, or simply those who wish to ensure that such weapons would not be used against them?

So I guess not wanting to have cluster munitions used against you is a sleazy, self-interested reason for wanting to ban cluster munitions? Shame on those non-cluster-munition-producing nations!

[John Caruso]

Yeah, I'm also not impressed with that comment; it's typical of the kind of sniping I always see on the SF Chronicle's web site that leads me to avoid the comments section there.

There are a number of nations that have refused to sign the ban, in fact—basically the ones you'd expect. But 1) there are quite a few NATO countries that have signed it, which will make it more difficult for the US to use cluster munitions when operating under the NATO aegis (since the treaty calls on its participants never to "assist, encourage or induce anyone to engage in any activity prohibited to a State Party under this Convention"), 2) England signed it, which will make it more difficult for the US to use cluster munitions when operating with its faithful lieutenant (as in Iraq), 3) Afghanistan signed it despite pressure from the US not to, which will make it more difficult for the US to use cluster munitions in its attacks in Afghanistan, 4) as Marc Garlasco of Human Rights Watch pointed 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), 5) it had even more initial support than the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, 6) etc, etc, etc. So don't let the truthdig commenter's dismissive carping get you down.

So there are reasons to be encouraged and reasons to be discouraged, but no matter how you look at it it's a major step forward.

I'd agree that we should at least ask Obama to sign on to things like this—and there are some encouraging signs in that direction, though we all know better than to count on that.

[cemmcs]

So I guess not wanting to have cluster munitions used against you is a sleazy, self-interested reason for wanting to ban cluster munitions?

Exactly! It's sort of like those people who didn't go to Vietnam just because they didn't want to risk their own lives and then "opposed" the war. Jeez, you don't see GW bush or Dick Cheney let a little thing like a reluctance to get killed forcing them to compromise their principles. Obviously, some people have character and some people don't.

[KDelphi]

Actually, that was from truth dig..but there is a link to a bbc site, that you can watch a video, of what these little basterds do...I cant see how anyone except, (see above) could be against banning them after that.

Lets pressure our representatives, and change.gov (sigh..I know) to sign this as well as signing on to banning land mines. They are the "gift that keeps on giving". We need to take our place at the table of civilized nations.

They have actually banned "leg hold traps" (as they should!) for animals in most states now...