International Treaty to Ban Cluster Bombs Agreed

Diplomats representing one hundred nations, meeting in Dublin, Ireland have agreed to a treaty that would ban the stockpiling or use of cluster bombs. These bombs maim and kill many innocent civilians, and scatter unexploded bomblets across war zones, that may detonate and destroy a life years after the bombs were dropped. Most recently, these bombs were deployed during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and see continuing use in the occupation of Afghanistan. These bombs are weapons of terror, just as much as land mines are. I congratulate these one hundred nations on making this agreement, a worth heir to the anti-land mine treaty of the 1990s. Hopefully, this treaty will reduce the number of civilians who are killed in wars. Of course what would be better is to prevent wars in the first place, but until that happens we have to settle for banning the most hideous weapons of war.

But not all countries that produce, stockpile and in some cases have used these weapons are onside. The most notable holdouts are China, Russia, Pakistan, India, Israel and (surprise!) the United States. Shame on them. They persist in creating a legacy of fear and death for the people of the countries they attack, or for the victims of the countries to whom they sell cluster bombs.

I sincerely hope that the Canadian government has signed onto this treaty, but knowing Harper's craven boot-licking attitude to the Bush administration, Canada probably opposed the deal, simply because the Americans said so. We need an election.

Days Remaining in Bush Presidency: 238