As we begin to examine the law of treaties, and consider the extent to which treaties successfully moderate or shape state behavior,
here is a story from earlier this summer on how the relatively recently concluded Convention on the
Prohibition on the Use, Production, Stockpiling and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines (the Ottawa Treaty), has had a fairly significant impact on the use of land-mines around the world.
As depicted in the news and on tv/movies, "dumb" land mines are terrible weapons that kill or maim without regard to age, sex, race, or nationality. The article said that United States military still thinks they have their place in conflict. Whether that is a correct statement or not I cannot say, but the evidence is clear that people, civilians, are dying in times of peace because they have explosives buried under their feet.
ReplyDeleteEven in my childhood I remember hearing stories on the news about people being seriously disfigured and dying from these weapons. I find it interesting after reading this article that the United States has two faces to this issues. We have provided more aid than any other country in removing this problem from the world, yet we still advocate for the use of these weapons. Is the aid we are granting just a way to save face with the rest of the world?