NEW YORK PEACE NETWORK Alert #161

Dear Peace Networker,

Last week 111 nations signed a treaty to ban cluster bombs. It goes on to require the destruction of stockpiles within eight years.

What This Means

Coming together not as individual countries, but as responsible members of the world community, 111 countries have decided that peace is a more worthy cause than war. After all, in just the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, an estimated 1 million unexploded "bomblets” were left behind in Lebanon which have been both killing and maiming civilians ever since. Cluster bombs are still on the ground in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Iraq, Afghanistan, countries in the former Yugoslavia, Ethiopia and Kuwait, to name just a few countries.

The Problem

While this is a step in the right direction, some of the most militant countries in the world, those with the most cluster bombs, have decided that they are exempt from this treaty. Joining the U.S. on this list are Russia, China, Israel, India and Pakistan. These are apparently the countries that the administration has decided most closely match our current ideology. So what does the government say in defense of this position? Defense analyst John Pike says "Treaties like this make me want to barf. It's so irrelevant. Completely feel-good." And people wonder why our government is steering away from diplomacy.

The Future of Cluster Bombs

Obviously our government does not take the threat of cluster bombs or the concerns of the international community seriously. There is however still hope that our country’s use of cluster bombs will decrease significantly. Since 1997 the U.S. use of land mines has totally stopped after they were banned by the international community. Many people suggest that the cluster bomb treaty may have the same effect. Political pressure to hold cluster bombs at bay has the potential to save untold thousands if not millions of lives.

Next steps

The best way to stay on top of this issue is to understand the threats the come with cluster bombs and to keep your eyes out for anything you see in the headlines about them. Check out the cluster bombs web pages of the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) and read up on their coverage of the issue. The more you know about this issue, the better equipped you are to know what our country and our government is up to.

As always, thanks for all you do.

Cheryl Wertz
Executive Director, Peace Action of New York State
info@panys.org