Sexy, Sensual Fuzy Armour

«The first proposals to ban cluster bombs were made in 1974. Since that time the weapons have been used in some 25 countries and, most worryingly, they are now in the arsenals of 70 states world-wide. Cluster bombs have already killed too many innocent civilians both during and after conflict.» —Bianca Jagger, Council of Europe Goodwill Ambassador

On 30 May 2008, at the conclusion of the Dublin Conference, participating states fulfilled their commitment made in the Oslo Declaration, to:

“Conclude by 2008 a legally binding international instrument that prohibit the use and stockpiling of cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians and secure adequate provision of care and rehabilitation to survivors and clearance of contaminated areas”.

Major manufacturers and users of cluster bombs - including the US, Russia, Israel, India, Pakistan and China -refused to sign the treaty.

The Pentagon states that "blanket elimination of cluster munitions is unacceptable". The Pentagon not only told the world that it would keep on using cluster bombs -- it called the controversial weapons life-savers, too. The Defense Department's new policy on cluster munitions, describes the weapon as "legitimate weapons with clear military utility." The new policy is designed to reduce the danger of unexploded bomblets by mandating that bombs with a "dud rate" higher than 1% will not be used after 2018.

Why wait 10 years???

According to the Times, "There are about 720 million of the bomblets. The Pentagon adopted a policy in 2005 banning acquisition of cluster bombs with a dud rate higher than 1%, but the inventory contains many munitions purchased before then."

According to the US Congressional Research Service report, the U.S. dropped more than 1,200 cluster bombs — containing nearly 250,000 submunitions — in Afghanistan from 2001-2002. And the U.S. and British forces used about 13,000 of the bombs — with more than 1.8 million bomblets — during the first three weeks of combat in the Iraq war.

We all know one American live is worth about 10 European lives, or 50 Asian, 100 Muslim or 500 Africans.

Further readings on http://www.globalsecurity.org/ and http://www.noahshachtman.com/