Cluster bombs, and the countries that refuse to ban them...

This week, delegations from over 100 countries arrived in Dublin, Ireland for the drafting of a global treaty banning the use of cluster munitions. The weapons, scattered indiscriminately from the air, have maimed and killed more than 13,000 people, according to the United Nations, the vast majority of them civilians and a great many of them children.

The draft treaty may set a deadline on the banning of use, production and sale of cluster munitions, along with a six-year timeframe for the destruction of stockpiled bombs. The treaty, if ratified, would also require the clearing of cluster-bomb contaminated regions and the assistance of victims and bombarded communities.

Notably but predictably absent from the diplomatic conference was the United States—the largest producer, stockpiler, and user of cluster bombs in the world and consistently opposed to international protocols on military force—along with military partner Israel, also a major user of the weapon. Also absent from the conference were Russia, China, India, and Pakistan. More...

See also:

1. Okay, "only" 18000 people were killed in Dresden, but isn't that bad enough?
2. When American bombs drop on wedding parties...
3. One day in August, 1945, the Devil laughed with delight...