Banning cluster munitions.

[Nilsen]

I say its about time they go the same way as anti-personel landmines..

What do the rest of you think?. They are without a doubt a very good type of weapon in conventional warfare such as was predicted for a WW3 but the problems they cause now go far above their usefullness.

Im sure many here will not agree with this.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6158806.stm

[Sandman]

"It is well that war is so terrible -- lest we should grow too fond of it." - General Robert E. Lee.

[Captain Virgil Hilts]

^^^^^

Wise man he was. And Sandman has posted something I agree with him on.

[Nilsen]

Originally posted by Sandman
"It is well that war is so terrible -- lest we should grow too fond of it." - General Robert E. Lee.

So you support the use of cluster munitions then because they make war more terrible?

[Debonair]

they should ban clusterf***s

[Ball]

Originally posted by Nilsen
So you support the use of cluster munitions then because they make war more terrible?

I'm sure if it were kids in their backyard getting maimed or worse by unexploded cluster munitions they would feel differently.

for some it seems out of sight, out of mind.

[Bronk]

Originally posted by Debonair
they should ban clusterf***s

But then where would the Oclub be.



Bronk

[Mark Luper]

Collateral damage is one of the more terrible aspects of war. Cluster munitions seem to have a lot of that. I'm don't know whether or not these are being dropped in the "wrong" area, such as near and in heavily populated residential areas. I can see where they would be very usefull in reducing the enemies ability to wage war were they dropped in a heavy concentration of fighting personel and equipment.

Considering the fact that the lines of demarcation outlining areas of combat from areas of high civilian concentration are severly blurred in the way war seems to be waged now days, I would be inclined to use this type of weapon very little if at all.

I am no expert on waging a war nor do I know all the circumstances involved in the decision on what type of weapon to use but it would be nice to reduce collateral damage as much as possible and if banning these weapons acheived that I may support it.

What I would not like to see is tying the hands of our military and making them fight by rules that the enemy refuses to follow. I believe our military should take every advantage it can and get the job done as quickly as possible with a minimum of loss of life for our service men and women and secondly be concerned with collateral dammage.

[1K3]

cluster bombs should be used only on open battlefields.

[Maverick]

I read the article. Long on allegsations and claims but short of anything resmbling confirmation of the claims. Particularly the bit about 98% of the casualties from cluster minitions being civilians.

I also noted a reference to the recent arab isreali conflict and not a single mention about the use of the civilian areas as points to launch the arab artillery from.

Frankly I would rather see oslo get concerned with reducing radical muslim fundamentalism and terrorism.

[mora]

Originally posted by Nilsen
I say its about time they go the same way as anti-personel landmines..
 

When exactly have the landmines gone?

[Nilsen]

Originally posted by 1K3
cluster bombs should be used only on open battlefields.

If so then every single shell fired into an area should be recorded and recordings submitted to whoever rules/uses or lives/farms/plays on the ground that the shell lands on so it can be restricted or cleaned by either those that fired it or holds the land.

Kinda hard to enforce tho.

Making the user of that weapon a criminal of war would make it easyer to pass the blame and responsibilty of cleaning up easier.

You cant fight without weapons, but just like with landmines that litteraly kills and maimes for decades its a weapons that has nothing to do in the 21st century.

[Dago]

Clusterbombs should only be used in other countries, not mine.  

[Nilsen]

Originally posted by mora
When exactly have the landmines gone?

They are no longer put in the ground by the nations that have signed the treaty. Your country has signed, and i would guess there are no minefields surrounding Finland that you have put there any more.

[Irwink!]

Originally posted by Nilsen
I say its about time they go the same way as anti-personel landmines..

What do the rest of you think?. They are without a doubt a very good type of weapon in conventional warfare such as was predicted for a WW3 but the problems they cause now go far above their usefullness.

Im sure many here will not agree with this.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6158806.stm

Can't agree. In my mind its the misuse (rules of so-called civilized warfare) that makes them objectionable to so many people including me when they are misused. There will at times still be terrible collateral damage to unintended targets even when used "properly" but that is the nature of war. There will always be the danger of some collateral damage even if we were to go back to using clubs.

EDIT: Use  of cluster munitions to target combatants concealed within a concentrated civilian population would be a "misuse" IMO.