Even as they condemn the Syrian regime’s use of cluster munitions, the U.S. is selling Saudi Arabia $640 million worth of American-made cluster bombs. Cluster munitions have been banned in 83 countries on account of their indiscriminate nature and their record of killing children.
John Reed at Foreign Policy:
These weapons are loathed because in addition to killing enemy combatants, their fairly indiscriminate nature means they can kill plenty of civilians. And not just in the heat of battle. The little ball-shaped bomblets dispersed by cluster munitions don’t always detonate on first impact. Often, they will just sit there on the ground until someone, often a child, picks them up and causes them to explode.
So far, 112 countries have signed an international treaty banning cluster bombs, with 83 ratifying it.
The international ban began to take effect in June 2010, just after a U.S. cluster bomb killed 35 women and children in Yemen, with the Pentagon stubbornly refusing to admit to the wrongdoing despite damning evidence compiled by Amnesty International, which was later corroborated by classified diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks.
Cluster bombs were used in the initial phases of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, and the Obama administration has firmly opposed their prohibition, as have countries like Saudi Arabia, China, and Russia. What’s that old saying about how you’re known by the company you keep?
It’s also worth pointing out how eager the U.S. is to keep giving Saudi Arabia, one of the most horrific, repressive, mysogynist theocracies in the world, all the weapons and money it asks for. Reed again:
The cluster bomb sale is just the latest in a string ongoing arms deals between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia that include dozens of F-15SA Strike Eagle fighter jets, AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, H-60 Blackhawk helicopters and AH-6 Little Bird choppers as well as radars, anti-ship missiles, guided bombs, anti-radar missiles, surface to air missiles and even cyber defenses for those brand new Strike Eagles. It’s a relationship that’s worth tens of billions to American defense contractors. And even though the Saudi and the American governments have recently been at odds over a range of issues — Riyadh recently offered to replace any financial aid to Egypt’s military rulers that the U.S. withdrew — those arms sales are all-but-certain to continue. If the Saudis want cluster bombs, the U.S. will provide — no matter what the world thinks.
On the one hand, the U.S. is desperate to maintain the geo-political dominance it has held over the Middle East at a time when it seems to be slipping through their fingers. And on the other, one of the strongest lobbies in Washington – the defense corporations – really want to proceeds of these nefarious weapons sales. And you gotta please them.
As long as its not killing American women and children they will look the other way. Israel littered Lebanon with three million cluster bombs and where was the outcry, there is no stopping the empire.
We can stop the empire! All we need to do is revolt, but everybody to revolt. We all need to get together irrespective of our fears of other people, culture, skin colour, international boarders etc… But just get together and revolt. Otherwise nothing ain't going to happen. And that's why nothing is hopping now. Failure of the people to come together and impact.. Impact is lacking. To hell with your jobs/ carrers and pitiful excuses! That's what they want you to think. People need to drop all their anxieties of their neighbour and come together. Got to start working on that in order to build an empire of the people of common ground
Wonderful Words John but as in all things Money talks! USA can only Export War and Death what else do they have left to Export?
Israel Dual Citizens Run USA Time they were all thrown out and Back to the Country their alliances are sworn?
Maybe one Day The People will take action but whilst its not effecting them they do not care War has been Glamorized this is where it all starts to go wrong?
American Sniper a Prime Example! Shame on Clint Eastwood.
It will happen tide of opinion is altering against Israel USS Liberty Hello? Friends such as these who needs Enemies?
Great article, but we should note that the statement that cluster bombs "have not been used by the U.S. in over a decade" is demonstrably incorrect. They have been used in at least one cruise missile attack in Yemen in 2009. This suggests that the Saudi government will very likely use their purchases in countries in which the fall of an authoriarian government might be seen as a precursor to the fall of their own authoritarian government.
See also http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2010/0… for a photo of a U.S. made cluster bomb used in Yemen.
Obama 57Kuducc States= 50+Israeljor+Msr+ksayemen+UAE+IraKWI+QatBah+Oman r free from punishment….long live ZoO.
You guys just talk shit!
Remember the popular song heard daily on the news programs during the Vietnam era? "Hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids have you killed today?" Our leadership is diabolically consistent over time, change presidents but not evil acts of war.
Obmaination is becoming the worst of all So Much for all his empty words and Promises Strip him from the Nobel Peace Prize he is not Deserving of such a Prize! Just another Pawn of the Warmongers
Why am i not surprised
As long as its not killing American women and children they will look the other way. Israel littered Lebanon with three million cluster bombs and where was the outcry, there is no stopping the empire.
Well, well.
:from https://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/dumb/cbu-87.h…
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Unit Cost List Price: $13,941 [$ FY90]
·DoD News Briefing Tuesday, June 22, 1999 — The U.S. dropped about 1,100 cluster bombs. Not all of those were dropped in Kosovo. (ie but other parts of the Yugoslavia presumably)
So that means between 40 and 50 thousand items.
Is this just another Saudi sweet deal, buying up otherwise useless war material for storage in the deserts remote from humankind, or are they planning to use these things?
In what adventure, I wonder? 40 to 50 times as big as Kosovo/Yugoslavia?
Well, that's interesting. Some countries just achieve to shock me each time with their double moral.
http://bsnews.info/whats-wrong-with-channel-4-new…
Former British Ambassador to Uzbekistan and human rights activist, Craig Murray, has pointed out in a blog postfollow entitled ‘Clusters of Hypocrisy’, that ‘the United States has the largest stocks of cluster bombs in the world’. And lest we in the UK begin feeling smug that our country is a signatory to the convention Murray crucially highlights that, although the UK government signed the ban, Wikileaks documentsfollow reveal that in May 2009 the Foreign Office suggested to the US government that agreement on a clever loophole that would allow the continued storage of US clusters on British soil (the island of Diego Garcia) should be delayed until after the UK Parliament had ratified the ban thus avoiding scrutiny from MPs! In the cable a Foreign Office official states:
“It would be better for the USG [US government] and HMG [Her Majesty's Government] not to reach final agreement on this temporary agreement understanding until after the CCM ratification process is completed in Parliament, so that they can tell parliamentarians that they have requested the USG to remove its cluster munitions by 2013, without complicating/muddying the debate by having to indicate that this request is open to exceptions.’
And that is exactly what Parliament was told in April of last year by the then minister for international defence and security, Baroness Taylor of Bolton. What she failed to mention was that most of the cluster bombs are being kept offshore aboard US ships and that this will continue after 2013. Indeed, we learn that Nicolas Pickard, head of the Foreign Office’s Security Policy Group, “reconfirmed that off-shore storage on US ships would still be permitted”.
Cluster bomb victim Afghanistan
Cluster bomb victim Afghanistan
It’s also worth noting that even though the UK is a signatory to the convention outlawing the manufacturing, stockpiling and deployment of these abhorrent weapons, UK banks continue to fund them, either by providing loans, managing assets or giving investments to cluster munitions manufacturers.
really a sad news.
poor childrens. Realy sad..Il dedicate him essay in my school. Let all know…
not a good news. really bad children.
great and awesome post but sorry about the child
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Thanks for nice sharing :)
have some petty on this guys.
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i agree but i cant understand abaut it
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This is not a good news. For me, this is more on selfishness. Cluster bombs have killed a lot of people and it shouldn't only be banned but every piece of it should be destroyed somewhere safe. Help save mankind guys not destroy it. Domain Registration
This is a terrible news. Hope their economy will get better soon.
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Please save the children. Cluster bombs are no good. They should be banned for good.
Yes, it is a good thing to know that cluster bombs are banned however, it's still sad to know that they are many people who have been badly affected by this creation.
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I don't really know why these are even created in the first place. It has given bad things to human beings more than good. Stop creating them please.
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For me, this was created due to war threats from other countries. It has helped in defeating those terrorists too. Causing war can be inevitable in the past and even in the present days. I know that this is created for the greater good. Well, that's for me.
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What exactly are cluster bombs? And why was it even created? Umm, no offense but I think this is just created to make war and not peace.
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i really hope that cluster bombs as well as other lethal weapons will be banned unless it really needed for the greater good
It's good that they have banned cluster bombs. This is a good start however, there have been a lot of people who have been greatly affected by these lethal weapons which is also sad to know.
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Good thing that these weapons for war are being banned. By the way, what do cluster bombs do exactly? Where was it used that there were a lot of innocent people were affected by the use of it. Hope the US government is going to ban it forever.
Maybe it would be better if they don't sell it and just ban it forever so that it won't be used to affect innocent people does anyone agree?
but won't saudi arabia use it for bad reasons
they should sell it for a much higher price or better yet, throw it away
the US government need to stop terrorists from using this type of weapon not sell them
the US government should just put it somewhere safe instead of selling it. this might just cause problems
They have been used in at least one cruise missile attack in Yemen in 2009.
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as well as other lethal weapons will be banned unless it really
As long as its not killing American women and children they will look the other way. Israel littered Lebanon with three million cluster bombs and where was the outcry, there is no stopping the empire.
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It’s also worth pointing out how eager the U.S. is to keep giving Saudi Arabia, one of the most horrific, repressive, mysogynist theocracies in the world, all the weapons and money it asks for