WAR'S REMAINS: MINES, CLUSTER BOMBS AND DEPLETED URANIUM Wednesday, April 17, 2002 Susan V. Thompson, ed. Read online or subscribe at: http://www.9-11peace.org/bulletin.php3
CONTENTS --------- 1. Introduction: A Legacy of Death 2. Depleted Uranium 3. Landmines 4. Cluster Bombs 5. Take Action 6. Get Involved 7. About the Bulletin INTRODUCTION: A LEGACY OF DEATH --------------------------------------------- Afghanistan has more landmines than any other country in the world. The US spent millions on demining the country prior to 9-11, and according to the US government, no new mines are being laid in the current war. However, the US is using cluster bombs, and it is estimated that thousands of these bright yellow bomblets now lie unexploded on Afghan soil. Along with the hidden landmines, they'll pose a deadly threat to the civilian population there for years to come (and no, the US has not yet changed the bright yellow food packets to a different color to distinguish them from these bombs). The bunker busters that have been much touted for use in destroying the cave hideouts of Al Q'aeda cells also contain depleted uranium, a radioactive material that has been blamed for birth defects, cancer, and other serious health problems in Gulf War veterans. The problem is that cluster bombs, depleted uranium shells and landmines can't discriminate between an Afghan or a US soldier, between an Al Q'aeda operative or a child, between "good" and "evil". They never get a ceasefire order or understand that a war has ended - they just keep on killing and maiming anyone who crosses their path. In a war that has generally been described as a "just" war, meant to help root evil out of the world, the use of such weapons seems to indicate that there is little concern about differentiating between "justified" and accidental targets. Also, despite repeated claims that the US military is taking pains to prevent civilian deaths through the use of "smart" weapons, the use of cluster bombs and DU belies a lack of concern about the fact that innocent civilians will still face the possibility of becoming "collateral damage" in the so-called war on terrorism long after it has moved on to other fronts. This week, we will explore the history and use of these types of weapons, both in Afghanistan and around the world, with the hope that this information will help garner support for grassroots efforts to investigate and rid the world of them. Next week: Humanitarian aid. DEPLETED URANIUM (DU): --------------------------------- Depleted uranium is a radioactive material that is used in weapons in order to allow them to more easily pierce armor and ground. However, there is little known about the long-term effects of the use of DU. While the idea that spreading radioactive waste around a battlefield could cause health problems may seem like simple common sense, the governments who use DU have been reluctant to investigate its effects. They've discounted anecdotal and statistical evidence that cancer, birth defects, and health problems found in civilians and soldiers are related to DU exposure. The World Health Organization's report on DU, which concludes that investigation into the effects of DU weapons is warranted. http://www.who.int/environmental_information/radiation/depluraniumexecsume.h tm Doctors at the Basra Pediatric Hospital just north of Kuwait have documented an extremely high number of cancer deaths, birth defects, and other serious medical problems which seem to have a direct correlation to the DU weapons used in the Gulf War. The controversial Gulf War Syndrome may also be closely related to the use of DU, although Canadian, US and British officials vehemently deny it. http://www.commondreams.org/headlines/091200-02.htm British soldiers who served in the Gulf War report a high number of "Thalidomide-type" defects among their children. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1122000/1122566.stm This excellent article focuses on the use of DU weapons by the Pentagon, and the various concerns about them. The article notes that it would cost billions to clean up the Gulf, although the Pentagon is maintaining that the US has no responsibility for doing this. http://www.gulfweb.org/doc_show.cfm?ID=15 Tests done by a team of American and Canadian scientists show that American Gulf War soldiers are suffering from uranium poisoning, a fact which is embarrassing for the Ministry of Defense (MoD) and American Defense Department. Both have refused to test Gulf War veterans for DU. http://www.gulfweb.org/doc_show.cfm?ID=733 DU is also a concern in the Balkans, although "Balkans War Syndrome" is being under-reported in the mainstream media. http://www.fair.org/press-releases/nato-du.html DU is in the bunker bombs used on Afghanistan. http://rawa.org/du.htm LANDMINES --------------- Landmines are a major problem in many parts of the world. They can continue to maim and kill people decades after a conflict has ended, and their removal is both slow and expensive. The Canadian-led 1997 Mine Ban Treaty has helped reduce this threat significantly; however, several countries, including the US, Russia, China, North Korea, India and Pakistan refuse to ratify. The historical development and use of landmines and some possible alternative weapons. http://www.sfu.ca/~dann/Backissues/nn6-2_9.htm A brief summary of landmine problems worldwide. It is estimated that landmines injure or kill 26,000 civilians a year, many of them children. http://geography.state.gov/text/tlandmines.html A map of the world showing where landmines are concentrated. http://www.icbl.org/resources/photo/Illustrations/Maps/ . . . UNICEF has called for a ban on all landmines. This article describes how harmful landmines are, especially to children, and includes a section on the different types of landmines. (Note that Afghanistan contained more landmines than any other country in the world, even prior to the current war.) http://www.oneworld.org/landmines/landmines1.html Canada has taken the lead in banning landmines. In 1996, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Lloyd Axworthy created the Ottawa Process, an international challenge to ban all landmines. He invited all nations back to Canada in 1997 to sign an international land mine ban treaty. Jody Williams, the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize winner, commended Canada for this largely successful campaign. http://www.carleton.ca/duc/tic/twac/97/nov6/s2.html Human Rights Watch notes the fact that the US has opposed almost every multilateral international treaty, especially those dealing with arms reduction. The section on landmines is excellent, especially since it summarizes the status of the Mine Ban Treaty up until last November. http://www.hrw.org/wr2k2/arms.html The US rationale for refusing to sign the Mine Ban Treaty is basically that the American government may need to use them one day. http://www.iansa.org/news/2001/aug_01/us_cool.htm The US also refuses to sign the treaty partly out of an outmoded concern over North Korea invading South Korea. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2002/03/18/ED 118813.DTL Lately, even Hollywood seems to have been sending the message to ban landmines. "In an era of ever more precise smart-bomb technology, landmines are the ultimate in imbecilic weaponry. They are the psycho-killers of modern arms: Cross their path and they blow you away -- for absolutely no reason whatsoever. " http://alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=12713 A list of all the countries that have not joined the Ottawa Treaty. http://vvaf.org/campaign/nonottawasigners.html For more background information on this issue, including a report on Afghan landmine survivors and updates on the current campaign to get the US to ratify the Mine Ban Treaty, you might want to browse the articles at this site. http://www.banminesusa.org/ CLUSTER BOMBS --------------------------- This excellent article explains how unexploded cluster bombs are as dangerous in the long-term as landmines. It includes details of American use of the bombs, such as how many have been dropped on Afghanistan and how the bombs work, as well as information on how unexploded bomblets still threaten civilians in countries such as Kosovo. The article also notes that there are grassroots efforts to have cluster bombs banned. " target=_new>http://www.icbl.org/cgi-bin/go.cgi?0= http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-120101cluster.story Human Rights Watch has called for a national moratorium on cluster bombs, citing the fact that they cause "unacceptable civilian casualties" both during and after conflicts. This article contains a large amount of detailed information on the bombs and their use. http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/arms/cluster-bck1031.htm TAKE ACTION: URGE SIGNING OF THE MINE BAN TREATY ---------------------------------------------------------------------- In America, contact your U.S. Representative to ask him/her to sign onto the letter to President Bush urging support for a U.S. ban on landmines. http://www.banminesusa.org/urg_act/984.htm GET INVOLVED ------------- If you would like us to include an action, news article, or source for more information in the bulletin, please write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and describe your item in the subject line. ABOUT THE BULLETIN ------------------- The 9-11Peace.org bulletin is a weekly newsletter providing resources, news, and action ideas to over 28,000 people around the world. The full text of the bulletin is online at http://www.9-11peace.org/bulletin.php3; users can subscribe to the bulletin at that address also. 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