Cluster bomb ban treaty is signed

[Psycho4Bud]

More than 100 nations, including the UK, have signed a treaty to ban current designs of cluster bombs.

Diplomats have agreed to back an international ban on the manufacture, use or stockpiling of the munitions, following 12 days of talks in Dublin.

Some 111 countries including the US, Russia and China have been urged to reconsider boycotting the treaty.

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called the treaty a "big step forward to make the world a safer place".

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon welcomed the landmark charter and encouraged all nations to sign up.

In his closing address to the conference, Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Micheal Martin said: "Rarely have we seen such single-minded determination to conclude a convention with such high humanitarian goals in such a concentrated period of time."
BBC NEWS | Europe | Cluster bomb ban treaty is signed

It's a good weapon for taking out an airforce bases' runways, BUT it shouldn't be used on civilian areas. Kind of sitting on the fence on this one.

Have a good one!:s4:

Psycho4Bud Reviewed by Psycho4Bud on 05-30-2008. Cluster bomb ban treaty is signed More than 100 nations, including the UK, have signed a treaty to ban current designs of cluster bombs. Diplomats have agreed to back an international ban on the manufacture, use or stockpiling of the munitions, following 12 days of talks in Dublin. Some 111 countries including the US, Russia and China have been urged to reconsider boycotting the treaty. UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called the treaty a "big step forward to make the world a safer place". UN Secretary General Rating: 5

[Dutch Pimp]

It's not a precision weapon. Think; carpet bombing.

[Dream of the iris]

Well wait are they talking about cluster bombs with nukes or is it just for any bomb whatsoever?

[dragonrider]

Well wait are they talking about cluster bombs with nukes or is it just for any bomb whatsoever?

A cluster bomb is not a nuke. It is a conventional bomb that is really a container holding hundreds or thousands of little "bomblets." The cluster bomb opens over a target and the bomblets scatter over the target area. I don't know the details, but imagine hundreds of grenade-sized bombs raining down and exploding all over an area the size of a football field all at once. They are very effective anti-personnel and anti-armor weapons for taking out large numbers of spread out forces. Sometimes the cluster bomb has a mixture of different types of munitions, like anti-personnel, armor-piercing, and incendiary all in one package, so it takes out the vehicles, takes out the people, and lights everyting on fire in one shot.

I haven't really followed this issue much, but I guess one problem is the large number of unexploded bomblets that litter a target area. It creates a sort of mine field and a lot of civilians get injured by accidentally detonating unexploded bomblets. Is that what this treaty is about?

[BlazinHaze]

I haven't really followed this issue much, but I guess one problem is the large number of unexploded bomblets that litter a target area. It creates a sort of mine field and a lot of civilians get injured by accidentally detonating unexploded bomblets. Is that what this treaty is about?

Yeah, I actually just saw something on the news about this, and it is my understanding that the unexploded portions are the issue concerning so many.

I also am being pulled both ways on this because it is an effective weapon if used properly, extremely dangerous if not, but so are most.

[psychocat]

Yeah, I actually just saw something on the news about this, and it is my understanding that the unexploded portions are the issue concerning so many.

I also am being pulled both ways on this because it is an effective weapon if used properly, extremely dangerous if not, but so are most.

The problem is the same as with minefields , the weapons can lie hidden for years until they are disturbed by some innocent farmer or even a child.

Land-mines: A deadly inheritance

Define "proper use" ?
They are dropped and forgotten about and there are always going to be one or two that fail to go off .they are dropped on "supposed" military areas but once the military is wiped out civilians will always try to reclaim the land and just like with the fields of Vietnam they will pay the price for the use of such weapons.
America is behaving just how I expect it to , they always seem to want to tell others not to build weapons but refuse to stop production of ever more destructive ways of threatening countries that won't toe the US line.
Did I hear the word hypocrites ?

[Psycho4Bud]

America is behaving just how I expect it to , they always seem to want to tell others not to build weapons but refuse to stop production of ever more destructive ways of threatening countries that won't toe the US line.
Did I hear the word hypocrites ?

So what countries is the big bad U.S.A. telling not to have cluster bombs? All this hate for the U.S. ......makes a person wonder if it's really hate or jealousy from an empire long gone?

Have a good one!:s4:

[psychocat]

So what countries is the big bad U.S.A. telling not to have cluster bombs? All this hate for the U.S. ......makes a person wonder if it's really hate or jealousy from an empire long gone?

Have a good one!:s4:

Hate yada yada yada
Empires yada yada yada
Jealousy
Whatever.
I will say it one more time just for those who seem to have a problem with understanding the concept that you can disagree with any countries policies and not actualy hate the people or the country.
The comment I made is more to do with America insisting that certain "unfriendly" countries aren't allowed to develop any long range weapons without America jumping on it's high horse even though the worst weapons ever developed were made in America.

1 America as a country is beautifu.
2 The American people are foreign to me and I do not claim that all Americans are anything, to do that I would have to know all Americans which of course I don't.
3 I DO NOT HATE AMERICA !
4 The fact that the US goverment (you really should realise by now that in posts like this I refer to your goverment as "America") goes around telling others how they may arm themselves is ridiculous.
5 The fact that America (sic) choses not to sign up to any of the treaties to make the world better (Kyoto, ban on cluster bombs) shows they are not serious about equality for all and improving relations they're only interested in dictating.

Get over yourselves , I am not jealous of anyone , I don't give a damn about what happened 200 years ago either.

I am more than happy being me and I thank my lucky stars I'm not American because I don't have to put up with what I consider to be draconian laws , just the penalties for pot possesion make me glad I'm not.

Give up on trying to convince everyone that I hate America as it is simply a very silly statement which you use to try to make it seem as if anyone who speaks out against your goverment is a hate filled fanatic.
It's kind of wearing very thin and it sounds ever so pathetic.

I'm betting there are some here who agree with the accusation that Dunkin' Donuts supports terrorism.
Dunkin' Donuts accused of promoting terrorism - Americas, World - The Independent

That cracked me up I couldn't stop laughing at the insanity of some folk.

[fishman3811]

America,China and Russia didnt sign this treaty but many other countries did.But too me whats the difference if you use one cluster bomb or a hundred of other bombs to kill a group of soldiars or tanks.Soo you ban cluster bombs that doesnt make the world safer....

[Psycho4Bud]

Give up on trying to convince everyone that I hate America as it is simply a very silly statement which you use to try to make it seem as if anyone who speaks out against your goverment is a hate filled fanatic.
It's kind of wearing very thin and it sounds ever so pathetic.

I don't need to convince anyone in here on your posts...they speak for themselves. I've NEVER seen a post by ya regarding the aid that is given by this country or the rapid response from the evil U.S.A. when there is a natural disaster anywhere in the world.

Fishman made a good point that you didn't seem to focus on at all....both Russia and China didn't sign this treaty either. So where is the bashing on their behalf?

I also see enough posts in here regarding the Israel/Palestine problem but nobody wants to speak of the past where it was the Brits that created this conflict dating back to 1927.....instead it's the evil U.S.A. that supports Israel; like we're the only ones right? Let shit hit the roof in the middle east and you'll find Brit troops right along side of ours.

Have a good one!:s4: