Pentagon's new cluster bomb policy treads water

The Pentagon has announced that the US military will continue to use and export even the most unreliable cluster bombs over the next decade. The policy decision comes shortly after 111 countries, including major NATO allies, agreed to a global treaty banning cluster bombs. The new policy states that the United States will not impose restrictions on the use or export of cluster bombs, including those with high failure rates, until 2018. The announcement drew heavy criticism from human rights groups because of the danger that unexploded cluster munitions pose to civilians. “Washington’s cluster bomb policy is way too little, way too late,” said Steve Goose, director of the arms division at Human Rights Watch, and member of the US Campaign to Ban Landmines (USCBL) steering committee. “Most key U.S. allies have already rejected... [read full story]