Saying it wants to join an international treaty banning anti-personnel land mines, the U.S. announced today that it will no longer make “or otherwise acquire” them. The new policy was announced at a conference on the Ottawa Convention, a 1999 treaty that outlaws the mines.
The country’s stronger stance on mines is part of a push “to end the use of all nondetectable mines and all persistent mines, which can remain active for years after the end of a conflict,” according to a White House news release issued this morning.
The new policy was announced to coincide with the conference that’s taking place this week in Mozambique.
“The old argument is that the U.S. needs land mines to stave off the North Koreans,” The Chicago Sun-Times writes about the U.S. reluctance to join the pact. “But in a world of fast deployment forces, that’s not a convincing reason, and military experts have claimed that mines constrict defense more than help.”
Worldwide, 161 countries have signed the Ottawa accord. While the U.S. isn’t one of them, in the early 1990s, the country established an aid program that it says has doled out some $2.3 billion in aid to eliminate land mines and to help their victims.
It’s not known how long it might take the U.S. to deplete its arsenal of the mines. Today’s announcement didn’t include a potential deadline for joining the mine treaty.
“The United States has not disclosed precise details about the size of its stockpile,” reports The New York Times. “Arms control experts have estimated it to be between 10 million and 13 million.”
The White House says the U.S. is conducting tests and simulations that can help it “mitigate the risks associated with the loss” of the anti-personnel mines.
People from across the country are looking for ways to help families of the 10 people killed at a King Soopers in Boulder on March 22.
We've compiled a list of area groups that are collecting contributions in the aftermath of the shooting.
In July, we published this statement in recognition of the work we needed to begin at CPR to confront issues of diversity, equity and inclusion in our newsroom and organization as a whole.
We know this work is urgent, and we are dedicated to doing it thoroughly and connecting it with our vision and mission to reach all and serve everyone in Colorado.
Here is an update on our progress over the last eight months.
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