Human Rights Day action: end cluster munitions
Tomorrow, December 10th, is the 60th anniversary observance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, published by the United Nations shortly after the international body's founding. There are many problems with the U.N. — the power imbalance in the structure, the lack of accountability, its limited enforcement mechanisms, and more — but this is not one of them. As the U.N. web site states, the declaration is a "living document" that is as relevant today as it was in 1948, in the wake of World War 2.
One of the tragic aspects of modern war, however, has been the growth of cluster bombs — which kill indiscriminately, and are mainly constructed and sold by companies operating out of wealthy, developed nations. When my spouse and I decided to engage in war tax resistance almost two years ago, one of the main reasons was the usage of U.S.-made cluster bombs by Israel during the war in Lebanon in the summer of 2006. To this day, the cluster munitions have continued to kill and injure thousands of Lebanese, mostly innocent civilians, not the Hezbollah fighters who were at war with Israeli military forces — the U.N. estimated that Israell scattered some four million "bomblets" across the Lebanese countryside.
Last week, one of the most hopeful international steps for peace in recent memory took place, when a global treaty for the elimination of cluster munitions was signed by some 100 countries in Oslo, Norway. Sadly, the U.S. was not among them, nor was Russia, China, Israel, Pakistan, Indian, or Zimbabwe. As reported by FCNL:
The Convention on Cluster Munitions — which bans production, stockpiling, use and export of cluster bombs — also requires states to provide adequate assistance to victims of these weapons. The treaty signing ceremony on December 3 is highly symbolic; it is International Day of Persons with Disabilities and the 11th anniversary of the signing of the Mine Ban Treaty.
The Bush Administration boycotted the negotiations and will not sign the treaty. The new administration will be able to change course after taking over the White House. President-elect Obama's Senate record and campaign statement bode well, but nothing is assured. The Pentagon's opposition to U.S. participation remains unchanged, Secretary Gates (who issued the Pentagon policy of retaining cluster bombs for another decade) seems to be staying on, and the new president has a lot on his plate.
We need you to make a little noise! ... send a letter to the editor asking Mr. Obama to sign the Convention.
After the signing treaty, Steve Goose, an arms director at Human Rights Watch said, "The cluster bomb treaty will save countless lives by stigmatizing a weapon that kills civilians even after the fighting ends." This is a moment of hope for promoting human rights — let's do what we can to build the momentum, and get our own nation on board with this global effort.
