Cluster Bombs Ban

[Kakyoin]

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Cluster bomb ban treaty approved

Over 100 nations signed the treaty in Dublin today saying that they would no longer use cluster bombs and will have their stockpiles destroyed by 2012. Nations who signed the treaty include Britian, Germany, Canada and France.

However several signifigant nations have not signed including the US, Israel, India, Pakistan, Russia and China.

Thoughts?

[Harlequin]

Pakistan have cluster bombs! since when?

I could understand the US not destroying them seeing as whether the rest of the world likes it or not its not beneficial to them, seeing as they are in a war and will probably have another in a decade or two. I live in the UK so should Britain be destroying them make me feel less safe? I doubt it. The cluster bomb is an abomination, making precision bombing almost impossible and seriously harming civilians inside the scatter zone (possibly for years to come with unexploded bombs) or largely inconveniencing the user against opposition 'hiding' amongst civilians.

I believe some scatter land mines which are costly to remove and can seriously hamper the local population years after the conflict. I think it should be against international law for a weapon like this to exist. In the wrong hands we could have catastrophe after catastrophe. Until then we simply have to trust the powers that be...