Unexploded Ordnance: US Responsibility for Clearing Landmines

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the responsibility of the United States for clearing landmines left from past conflicts, particularly in Laos and Vietnam. Participants explore the ethical implications of landmine usage, the impact on civilians, and the need for international standards regarding landmine clearance. The conversation touches on historical context, current practices, and potential technological solutions.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants argue that the US has a moral obligation to clear landmines it deployed, highlighting the ongoing harm to civilians.
  • Others suggest that the responsibility for clearing mines typically falls on the losing side of a conflict, but emphasize that the original users should also be accountable.
  • A few participants propose that landmines and cluster munitions should be internationally banned due to their long-term dangers to innocent people.
  • Concerns are raised about the effectiveness and necessity of landmines in modern warfare, with some arguing that technology has advanced beyond their use.
  • Participants discuss the potential for technological solutions, such as robotics, to aid in landmine detection and clearance, suggesting a lack of political will to implement these solutions.
  • Some express skepticism about the accountability of nations in tracking and removing landmines after conflicts, fearing that countries may misreport their efforts.
  • There are references to the emotional and physical toll on victims of landmines, with personal anecdotes illustrating the human cost of these weapons.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the responsibility for landmine clearance, with no consensus on the best approach or the effectiveness of current efforts. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the ethical implications and practical solutions.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight various assumptions about the motivations behind landmine usage and the complexities of international law regarding warfare and weaponry. There are unresolved questions about the extent of landmine presence in different regions and the effectiveness of proposed technological solutions.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those studying international relations, military ethics, humanitarian efforts, and technological advancements in conflict resolution.

  • #31
russ_watters said:
Now I'm just confused. I watched (most of) the clip and read the link you provided. Yes, it's about unexploded ordinance in Laos. Cluster bombs and mines are mentioned specifically as two of the major components of that. Are you objecting to discussion of banning them as being a tangent? Perhaps people didn't mention Laos in every post, but Laos serves as the example for most peoples' arguments about banning them.
It's the cluster bombs. You will never see landmines covering such a large area and so dense. Banning landmines isn't going to help in a case like this were it is the unexploded bombs that are the problem.
 
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  • #32


russ_watters said:
For example...?
Israel springs to mind instantly.

Surprised you didn't think of them yourself given all the press they've had following the UN condemnation of Israel's use of them in Lebanon in 2006 when the US made cluster munitions, dropped in their hundreds of thousands in the last hours of the conflict, had a failure (sic) rate of between 30-40% :rolleyes:

UN denounces Israel cluster bombs
The UN's humanitarian chief has accused Israel of "completely immoral" use of cluster bombs in Lebanon.

UN clearance experts had so far found 100,000 unexploded cluster bomblets at 359 separate sites, Jan Egeland said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5299938.stm
 
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  • #33
In afghanistan the color of UN aid parcels has been changed because they looked identical to cluster bomblets.
This isn't a new problem - in WWII the Germans were accused of dropping incenduries that were painted pale blue allegedly to encourage children to pick them up and play with them, the 'real' reason was that the luftwaffe wanted to distinguish them from army ordanance that was painted green.
 
  • #34
What is amazing is the Frence are still cleaning up from WW I:

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2992249,00.html
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #35
They're actually making a movie about people who clear fields of landmines for a living.

 
Last edited by a moderator:

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