World Conference Rallies to Ban Landmines

The U.S. should accede to the Global Mine Ban Treaty. A mine-free world is possible, if only governments have the will to make it so. The U.S., however, is standing in the way of a truly global ban.

From Nov. 29-Dec. 3, 2004, representatives from over 135 governments, inter-governmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, to mark the five-year anniversary of the entry into force of the Mine Ban Treaty (called the "Ottawa Convention"). The Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World was intended for governments to review progress, renew commitments, and decide which actions they must take to build a mine-free world.

The Ottawa Convention bans the use, production, export, and stockpiling of antipersonnel mines. Since its enactment five years ago, the treaty has yielded impressive results. Since 1999, 152 countries have agreed to ban antipersonnel mines, 62 million mines have been destroyed, and there has been no acknowledged trade in antipersonnel mines. Landmines have successfully become stigmatized throughout the world, causing states to refrain from using them or to find creative ways to justify their use.

Unfortunately, 42 countries remain outside the treaty, including the United States. The U.S. has not signed the mine-ban treaty and continues to reserve the right to produce and use antipersonnel mines-although it has not produced or exported any mines for more than seven years. Yet unlike many other non-state parties to the treaty who continue to engage the international community on the mine issue, the U.S. refused to send a delegation to Nairobi. Without delegates in attendance at this historic summit, the U.S. could not fully appreciate the commitment of the majority of the world's nations to building a mine-free world.

Unlike other humanitarian tragedies such as natural disasters and disease, the global landmine threat is human-made and can be stopped by human actions. Yet the U.S. government, believing that it should have no restraints on its military, refuses to join this life-saving treaty. While the Clinton administration pledged to join the Ottawa Convention by 2006, the current administration has earned the distinction of being the only government in the world to have no plans to ban antipersonnel mines in the future.

While antipersonnel mines continue to kill or maim thousands worldwide each year, the U.S. continues to insist that landmines are an essential war-fighting tool. In reality, the U.S. has not used landmines in war-fighting for more than a decade, and its NATO allies have all joined the treaty. The U.S. refusal to accede to the treaty only provides cover to "problem" countries that continue to use and produce landmines. Rather than exercising the responsibility to protect civilians, U.S. policy protects the predators. It is time for the U.S. to stand by the side of the hundreds of thousands of landmine survivors worldwide and ban these indiscriminate weapons.

FCNL Legislative Assistant Scott Stedjan attended the Nairobi Summit and wrote this analysis.