Big powers refuse to sign cluster bomb treaty

[go west young man]

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/big-powers-refuse-to-sign-cluster-bomb-treaty-

America and Russia are two major holdouts in the signing of a landmark agreement banning cluster bombs which both nations have used in the past with lethal effect to kill and maim children in Afghanistan.


Britain – a convert to the treaty – is among the 107 nations committed to signing the treaty which opened for signature today in Oslo. It was the result of a determined “coalition of the willing” whose campaign to ban the bombs began after Israel’s 2006 war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

According to the UN, the Israeli cluster bombs used in that conflict scattered 4,000,000 bomblets which can be triggered by children attracted to their bright colours.



Read more: Independent UK

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Once again the U.S. falls behind.

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. and further tarnishes their former reputation as the "good guys".

[Piewhacket]

2. we were always the "ugly americans"....

too rich, too fat, too arrogant...

but the thing I notice when I was abroad (long ago)
was that we were still admired

but it seemed to be about us being the custodians
of the idea of America, not what we were, but
what America aspired to be.

wouldn't it be nice to recapture that, to see it
once again reflected in the eyes of the world.

and in our own.

[ashling]

3. The big guys don't have to worry

These things only get used on the little guys

[Mithreal]

4. One of the cheaper ways to terrorize a population, right

Another reason I am very happy that PE Obama won.

S.Amdt. 4882 to H.R. 5631

"This amendment would have banned the use of cluster bombs in civilian areas and refugee camps. Senator Obama voted to ban the use of cluster bombs. Senator Clinton voted to preserve the use of cluster bombs in civilian areas and refugee camps."

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/3/1/202639/1788

"Obama voted in favour of limiting use of the bombs, while Clinton and 69 other senators opposed the spending limits, defeating the proposal."

http://www.clearpathinternational.org/cpiblog/archives/000963.php

Some people may see this as old news, but I did not follow it closely before.

[unkachuck]

5. it probably doesn't matter....

....the corporate interests have no problem killing innocent women and children when there's profit to be made....besides, no treaty is going to get in the way of implementing the next repug/corporate war....

....any such treaty signed will be treated like treaties we had on torture....they'll simply be ignored....no accounting, out of mind....

....you can't see them from here, but the corporate fascists are still in power....