On 1st August 2010, a global treaty banning the use of cluster munitions came into force. States having signed and ratified the convention are also banned from stockpiling the weapons and are obliged to compensate victims.
Cluster munitions were developed for a huge Cold War confrontation that thankfully never happened and thus are outdated. The weapons are indiscriminate and pose a threat, not only to civilians, but also to our own troops. A single bomb is designed to cover large area and can be launched by artillery or aircraft. As it nears its target, the shell releases a number of smaller bomblets – each of which can be devastating. Those that fail to detonate often remain active for years and some estimates from charity organisations claim that 98% of victims are civilians, one third of which are children.
In principle, the Convention on Cluster Munitions looks promising; to date it has been adopted by 108 states and praise has come from such dignitaries as Pope Benedict XVI and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. However, questions must be asked about the effectiveness of the convention. Although 108 countries have singed, at the time of writing, only 38 of these states have ratified the convention. Some of the biggest stockpilers - including the USA, Russia and China - have not signed up to the convention and this means positive effects are going to be limited.
Pressure from the EU, the UN and allies must be exerted on these three huge military powers in an attempt to pull them into the fold.
Ecrivain Man
Cluster munitions were developed for a huge Cold War confrontation that thankfully never happened and thus are outdated. The weapons are indiscriminate and pose a threat, not only to civilians, but also to our own troops. A single bomb is designed to cover large area and can be launched by artillery or aircraft. As it nears its target, the shell releases a number of smaller bomblets – each of which can be devastating. Those that fail to detonate often remain active for years and some estimates from charity organisations claim that 98% of victims are civilians, one third of which are children.
In principle, the Convention on Cluster Munitions looks promising; to date it has been adopted by 108 states and praise has come from such dignitaries as Pope Benedict XVI and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. However, questions must be asked about the effectiveness of the convention. Although 108 countries have singed, at the time of writing, only 38 of these states have ratified the convention. Some of the biggest stockpilers - including the USA, Russia and China - have not signed up to the convention and this means positive effects are going to be limited.
Pressure from the EU, the UN and allies must be exerted on these three huge military powers in an attempt to pull them into the fold.
Ecrivain Man
3 comments:
We read of a new wave of violence in Northern Ireland. 30 incidents so far this year. The chief police man in the providence, Matt Baggott, believe that a new Omagh terror attack might be on the way where 98 lost their lives in 1998. I guess "the real IRA" stands behing this So, Ecrivain Man: I would like to ask you the following: Do you think these incidents are just sporatic uncoordinated terror attempts that will go away after a while? Do you think it will get worse? Obviously, the peace process has big support in Ireland, but has this the potential to halt it?
Just a little correction there: 29 list their lives in the Omagh terror attack
I want to hear your views on the future of the massive British cuts in the budgets(some sectors of the government having to cut up to 25%). The unions are already warning the government and have planned one-day strikes throughout the Fall. Derek Simpson, leader of "Unite" with 3 million members does not seem very eager to communicate with the conservatives. Thatcher won her battles with the unions in 1984/85.Will Cameron succeed? He has had very little time to "establish himself" as preminister. Will the unions (I guess the public ones are much stronger than the private)rise again and seriously halt the process?
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