Posted by racingsnake
@ 12:57 PM GMT+00:00
12 Nov · Sun 2006
11/11
A Thought For Remembrance Sunday
The calendar this year has meant that Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday fell on consecutive days over the weekend - so there has been ample opportunity to reflect on today's armed conflicts in the context of those of the past.
Two international events represent, I think, potential steps in the right direction. The first is a new treaty on the disposal of 'Explosive Remnants of War' or 'ERWs'; the second is a UN arms review conference in Geneva, at which there will be discussion of a ban on cluster munitions. That discussion is opposed by countries including the UK, US, Russia and China. Several of those countries have made extensive use of cluster munitions. According to the Guardian columnist George Monbiot, the statistics include:
- US: 19m (Cambodia), 70m (Vietnam), 208m (Laos)
- UK and US: 54m (Iraq, 1991), 2m (Iraq, 2003)
- Russia: ?? (Afghanistan, Chechnya)
More recently, of course, Israel's use of cluster bombs in the last 72 hours of its recent invasion of Lebanon hit the headlines - not least because it appeared to be largely a longer term 'area denial' exercise as the Israeli troops retreated.
As I noted a few days ago, the UK's International Development Secretary, Hilary Benn, has called for a ban. It would be regrettable if his were the only senior government voice doing so. The recent departure of Donald Rumsfeld, and the likely replacement of John Bolton as America's voice in the UN are already being cited as making ot more likely that US policy towards Iraq will change. There's an opportunity for that shift in stance to include movement on the issue of cluster munitions.
From a purely pragmatic standpoint, the issue is perhaps best summed up by Simon Conway of Landmine Action. Read this and think of the extent to which military action and 'reconstruction' are inextricably interlinked in Iraq, Afghanistan and the like:
"The wars that we fight now are wars amongst the people
where we're fighting for the will of the people, and you can't achieve
your military or strategic aims if you kill large numbers of civilians
in the process."
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