A Tragic Legacy

In 1997, the International Organization to Ban Landmines was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for leading the effort to negotiate a multilateral treaty prohibiting "the Use, Stockpiling, Production, and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines." Thousands of civilians are injured or killed by landmines each year; many are children. According to Human Rights Watch, 141 countries have ratified the treaty. Among those who have not: Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Myanmar, China, Russia and Syria. Not exactly the Norways of the world. But what is troubling is that the United States has not ratified the treaty either. In what should have been a no-brainer, the U.S. decided to not to put limits (even ethical limits) on its comparatively gargantuan military arsenal.

Therefore, it should come as little surprise that the U.S. opted out of a similar treaty on Wednesday to ban cluster bombs - small bombs that disperse over a large area when fired, but that frequently do not detonate upon impact. The unintended (and understood) result is similar to that of landmines - innocent civilians are maimed when they pick them up or step on them. (The dangerous effects from Israel's widespread use of cluster bombs in southern Lebanon in 2006 will remain for years.) But given the opportunity to participate in the cluster bomb ban treaty, the United States is again asserting its prerogative to do as it pleases, feeling no obligation to join the 111 countries (including our closest ally, Great Britain) who signed the agreement.

The use of landmines and cluster bombs creates a tragic legacy that lingers long after a conflict has passed. Most countries recognize this and have organized themselves to prohibit their use. They have done so without the leadership or participation of the United States. This would have been an irrelevant fact ten years ago, but as power slowly shifts and developing countries emerge, the U.S. may again find itself in a compromising mood. And that won't be a bad thing.