Valentine’s Day Comes Early

Feb 12, 2009

Congress Shows a Little Love, Re-introduces Bill to Protect People from Cluster Bombs

Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act Re-Introduced

A bipartisan group of 18 senators, led by Patrick Leahy (VT) and Dianne Feinstein (CA), and a bipartisan group in the House, led by Rep. James McGovern (MA), showed their love—of humanity—a few days early, by introducing the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act of 2009 (S.416/H.R.981). The bill prohibits the use of cluster munitions with a dud rate greater than one percent and forbids any use of cluster munitions in civilian-populated areas. See what Sen. Leahy had to say about the issue in his floor statement.

Cluster munitions are large air-dropped or rocket-launched canisters that open in mid-air and scatter smaller submunitions over wide areas. The weapons have been criticized by governments and civil society around the world for being inaccurate and therefore indiscriminately wounding and killing civilians. Many cluster weapons leave behind large numbers of unexploded submunitions, which act as de facto landmines that threaten civilians and local communities long after conflict has subsided. Last December, 95 countries signed an international treaty banning cluster munitions. The United States was not among them.

The U.S. military still has more than 700 million submunitions stockpiled, and it has been the largest user of cluster munitions in the past decade. In July 2008, faced with growing international pressure, the Pentagon released a new policy announcing that, after 2018, it will limit the use of cluster munitions to more reliable systems (those that, “after arming, do not result in more than one percent of unexploded ordnance across the range of intended operational environments”). While this new policy recognizes the humanitarian concerns associated with unexploded ordnance caused by cluster bombs, FCNL believes that it offers too little, too late.

So, we are seeking to encourage the Obama Administration to review the policy and to reconsider the past decision to stand outside the global cluster bomb ban treaty. The day before Congress introduced the draft legislation on cluster munitions, FCNL sent a letter to President Obama from leaders of sixty-seven national organizations calling for a review of the Convention on Cluster Munitions. While the Obama Administration has not yet articulated its position on the new treaty, FCNL hopes that this letter and growing support for the new legislation will show President Obama that there is public support for bringing U.S. policy in line with that of our closest allies.

Seven senators who co-sponsored the bill in the 110th Congress are expected to re-join shortly. And we expect that many of the newly elected senators will want to join Freshman Sen. Jeff Merkley (OR) in co-sponsoring the bill. But, they need some encouragement from their constituents! Urge your senator and representative to co-sponsor this new legislation. The bill will save lives and bring U.S. policy in line with the new international consensus against the “bombs that keep on killing.”