Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Shameless Self-Promotion
While this blog is closing up shop as the semester draws to an end, I will continue to occasionally blog about Cluster Munitions and similar issues over at my personal blog.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Governments as Norm-Builders in the Case of Cluster Munitions
When discussing countries involved in norm setting for the cluster munitions ban, Norway is the first to come to mind, having established the Oslo process in February 2007. Along with Norway, an additional 45 nations participated in the Oslo Conference, and signed onto the declaration.
Norway wasn't the only nation leading the Oslo process effort. Aotearoa Cluster Munition Coalition cites five other nations as part of a core group: Austria, Peru, Ireland, Mexico, and New Zealand. These nations would each hold a conference on the path to the adoption of text for the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
Prior to this process, Norway had announced a moratorium on the use of cluster munitions, and Belgium had banned the use and sale of cluster munitions in 2006. Austria would become the third nation to announce a national ban on cluster munitions in December 2007.
The United States stands in opposition to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, preferring a less stringent approach via the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.
Norway wasn't the only nation leading the Oslo process effort. Aotearoa Cluster Munition Coalition cites five other nations as part of a core group: Austria, Peru, Ireland, Mexico, and New Zealand. These nations would each hold a conference on the path to the adoption of text for the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
Prior to this process, Norway had announced a moratorium on the use of cluster munitions, and Belgium had banned the use and sale of cluster munitions in 2006. Austria would become the third nation to announce a national ban on cluster munitions in December 2007.
The United States stands in opposition to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, preferring a less stringent approach via the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
The UN and Cluster Munitions
This image is a subsection of an updated network map of the network surrounding the effort to ban cluster munitions. This section of the map is showing the involvement of the UN and other international organizations. Based simply on the cluster map, programmes involved are: the UN Environmental Program, UN Development Program, UNICEF, UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, the UN Refugee Agency, the UN Development Fund for Women, and the UN Institute for Disarmament Research.
This list is long and comprehensive, but this list and map tells us little about the involvement and role of each agency. To further explore that, we turn to the UN participation page on the Cluster Munitions Convention website.
The Electronic Mine Information Network gives us timeline of UN involvement.
2003: The Interagency Standing Committee calls for a freeze in the US of cluster munitions
2005: UNMAS, UNDP, and UNICEF propose definitions for cluster munitions and issue calls for the limiting of cluster munition use. Kofi Annan calls upon the CCW states to consider cluster munitions.
2006: Kofi Annan calls for immediate regulation of and curbs in use of cluster munitions. Lebanon is used as an example of the humanitarian cost of cluster munitions by the Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.
2007: The UN Mine Action Team makes several statements on cluster munitions and various humanitarian, legal, and technical issues at various conferences on cluster munitions. The Secretary-General releases a statement envisioning a ban on cluster munitions by 2008.
2008: The UN addresses the Dublin Conference, where the Convention on Cluster Munitions is adopted. The UNMAT takes part in interoperability discussions.
The UN Institute for Disarmament Research conducts research studies on various weapons programs and disarmament efforts. To date they've conducted three studies on cluster munitions and the effort to ban them. The earliest report, on the humanitarian and development impact of cluster munitions, was conducted in 2005, well after the effort to ban these weapons were underway.
The UN Development Programme discusses cluster munitions, and provides examples of the impact they have on development.
The UN has been involved in efforts to ban cluster munitions since early in the campaign. Early calls for consideration of cluster munitions fall within the context of addressing Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons states. When these efforts stalled, the UN became involved in the Oslo process. The UN was in fact, a leader in calling for the Oslo Process. In an address to the the Third Review Conference on the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, Kofi Annan called for action to establish legal norms to eliminate cluster munitions. Early the next year, the UNDP congratulates Norway for responding to this call and establishing the Oslo Process.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Cluster Munitions and the Media
Author's Note: I wrote and posted this late, after I had had a chance to discuss results and methodology with the rest of the class and should be viewed with that in mind.
In order to determine what the effect the media had, if any, on efforts to ban cluster munitions I conducted a LexisNexis Academic search using the following terms:
For my first search, I searched six English language "Papers of Record" between January 1, 1970 and October 11, 2008. These papers were The International Herald Tribune (France), The Times (United Kingdom), The Globe and Mail (Canada), The Irish Times (Ireland), The New Zealand Herald (New Zealand), and The New York Times (United States). I chose these papers because I was looking for a sample of English language papers from countries leading the international effort to ban cluster munitions, countries who were major manufacturers and users of cluster munitions, and Canada, which was involved heavily in the campaign to ban land mines.
This resulted in 37 articles, including 1 duplicate. I determined if the article was a letter to the editor, and opinion/editorial, or a news article. Of the articles, twenty-three were news items, seven were opinion/editorial articles, and six were letters to the editor.
Changing the search parameters to include all major newspapers contained in LexisNexis between January 1, 1970 and October 11, 2008 using the same terms reveals 165 total articles written between 1996 and 2008. Notable is the spike in articles in 2003, coinciding with the foundation of the Cluster Munitions Coalition, which then drops off until the Oslo Conference of 2007, which began the effort that lead to the current Convention on Cluster Munitions.
75% of all the articles written were written within a month before or after a major international conference on cluster munitions. Of the papers of record, all but six, or 83% of articles were written within a month of a conference.
One can conclude that, except during international conferences, the movement to ban cluster munitions was not significantly engaged with the media. Within the papers of record, the majority of the articles regarding cluster munitions were reporting on the conferences, with only one third of the articles being opinion pieces or editorials.
Additionally, changing the LexisNexis search terms to Ban "Landmines AND Cluster Bombs" results in an additional 50 news paper articles regarding cluster muntions. (1970-2000)
In order to determine what the effect the media had, if any, on efforts to ban cluster munitions I conducted a LexisNexis Academic search using the following terms:
Cluster Munitions Ban OR Cluster Bombs Ban OR Ban Cluster Munitions OR Ban Cluster Bombs OR Cluster Munition Ban OR Cluster Bomb Ban OR Ban Cluster Munition OR Ban Cluster Bomb
For my first search, I searched six English language "Papers of Record" between January 1, 1970 and October 11, 2008. These papers were The International Herald Tribune (France), The Times (United Kingdom), The Globe and Mail (Canada), The Irish Times (Ireland), The New Zealand Herald (New Zealand), and The New York Times (United States). I chose these papers because I was looking for a sample of English language papers from countries leading the international effort to ban cluster munitions, countries who were major manufacturers and users of cluster munitions, and Canada, which was involved heavily in the campaign to ban land mines.
This resulted in 37 articles, including 1 duplicate. I determined if the article was a letter to the editor, and opinion/editorial, or a news article. Of the articles, twenty-three were news items, seven were opinion/editorial articles, and six were letters to the editor.
Changing the search parameters to include all major newspapers contained in LexisNexis between January 1, 1970 and October 11, 2008 using the same terms reveals 165 total articles written between 1996 and 2008. Notable is the spike in articles in 2003, coinciding with the foundation of the Cluster Munitions Coalition, which then drops off until the Oslo Conference of 2007, which began the effort that lead to the current Convention on Cluster Munitions.
75% of all the articles written were written within a month before or after a major international conference on cluster munitions. Of the papers of record, all but six, or 83% of articles were written within a month of a conference.
One can conclude that, except during international conferences, the movement to ban cluster munitions was not significantly engaged with the media. Within the papers of record, the majority of the articles regarding cluster munitions were reporting on the conferences, with only one third of the articles being opinion pieces or editorials.
Additionally, changing the LexisNexis search terms to Ban "Landmines AND Cluster Bombs" results in an additional 50 news paper articles regarding cluster muntions. (1970-2000)
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
NGO Involvement in the Cluster Munitions Ban
In 2003, the Stop Cluster Munitions coalition was formed with the support of a number of gatekeeper NGOs, including Handicap International, Human Rights Watch, and the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. Five years later, after a successful campaign, cluster bombs are on the verge of being banned.
Prior to 2003, one finds that individual NGOs were calling for this weapons ban as early as the mid 90s. Using LexisNexis Academic as a guide, we can construct a rough timeline of NGO involvement in this issue.
The earliest mention of an NGO involvement that I've discovered thus far is in a February 1995 letter to the editor in the New York Times. In it the author states:
The author then goes on to call for a ban on cluster munitions to be included in a land mine ban. While the NGOs mentioned are not calling for a ban, they are involved and aware of the issue. Later that year, Mines Advisory Group would be calling for a ban on cluster munitions, evidenced in a June 1995 quote in The Guardian:
What happens next isn't clear. There are articles from the late 1990s discussing cluster munitions and the impact they've had on civilians in the years after the Vietnam and Kosovo conflicts3, but no references to specific NGOs.
In 2001, the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund was calling for a ban on cluster bombs4. In 2002, Human Rights Watch was urging the US Administration to suspend the use of cluster munitions in future conflicts5. In 2003, the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and Landmine Action launched a petition calling for a ban on cluster munitions. At this point they were already part of what was described as a "coalition of anti-landmine charities.6"
In 2003, the Stop Cluster Munitions Coalition took point on the cluster munitions issue. They began a campaign urging governments to ban cluster munitions. Similar to the path taken on the drive to ban land mines, after being frustrated in efforts to have them banned under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, a multilateral effort known as the Oslo process. With the success of that process in achieving the Convention on Cluster Munitions, the group is now taking the campaign to governments, urging them to sign the Convention in December 2008 and highlighting continued use of cluster munitions in the world.
1"Clinton Land Mine Policy Falls Short; Include Cluster Bombs." New York TImes. Date: 15 February 1995 Section A; Page 20; Column 5; Editorial Desk. LexisNexis. 29 September 2008
2"Call to Ban Bomb." The Guardian. Date: 3 June 1995. The Guardian Foreign Page; Pg 14. LexisNexis. 29 September 2008
3Fleishman, Jeffrey. "In Peacetime Kosovo, Bomb Casualties Continue" The Philadelphia Inquirer
4"Diana charity calls for end to cluster bombs." Courier Mail. Date: 26 October 2001. World, Pg. 10 LexisNexis. 29 September 2008
5Donnelly, John "US Urged to Ban Cluster Bombs Rights Group Cites Danger to Civilians" The Boston Globe. Date: 18 December 2002. National/Foreign, Pg A27. LexisNexis. 29 September 2008
6"Threat of war: Anti-mine group calls for ban on cluster bombs." The Guardian. Date: 28 February 2003. The Guardian Home Pages, Pg. 7. LexisNexis. 29 September 2008
Prior to 2003, one finds that individual NGOs were calling for this weapons ban as early as the mid 90s. Using LexisNexis Academic as a guide, we can construct a rough timeline of NGO involvement in this issue.
The earliest mention of an NGO involvement that I've discovered thus far is in a February 1995 letter to the editor in the New York Times. In it the author states:
From April to October 1994, I assisted the Mennonite Central Committee and the British Mines Advisory Group in beginning a bomb removal project in Laos. The 580,000 bombing missions the United States flew during its 1964-73 secret air war left thousands of cluster bombs behind that failed to explode as designed. No general clearance of ordnance was conducted after the war, so these bombs continue to maim and kill 20 to 30 years after they were dropped.1
The author then goes on to call for a ban on cluster munitions to be included in a land mine ban. While the NGOs mentioned are not calling for a ban, they are involved and aware of the issue. Later that year, Mines Advisory Group would be calling for a ban on cluster munitions, evidenced in a June 1995 quote in The Guardian:
Reuter: A British-made cluster bomb used against Iraqi forces in the Gulf war should be banned because of the danger posed by its mine-like bomblets, Rae McGrath, director of the mines advisory group, said in Phnom Penh yesterday.2
What happens next isn't clear. There are articles from the late 1990s discussing cluster munitions and the impact they've had on civilians in the years after the Vietnam and Kosovo conflicts3, but no references to specific NGOs.
In 2001, the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund was calling for a ban on cluster bombs4. In 2002, Human Rights Watch was urging the US Administration to suspend the use of cluster munitions in future conflicts5. In 2003, the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and Landmine Action launched a petition calling for a ban on cluster munitions. At this point they were already part of what was described as a "coalition of anti-landmine charities.6"
In 2003, the Stop Cluster Munitions Coalition took point on the cluster munitions issue. They began a campaign urging governments to ban cluster munitions. Similar to the path taken on the drive to ban land mines, after being frustrated in efforts to have them banned under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, a multilateral effort known as the Oslo process. With the success of that process in achieving the Convention on Cluster Munitions, the group is now taking the campaign to governments, urging them to sign the Convention in December 2008 and highlighting continued use of cluster munitions in the world.
1"Clinton Land Mine Policy Falls Short; Include Cluster Bombs." New York TImes. Date: 15 February 1995 Section A; Page 20; Column 5; Editorial Desk. LexisNexis. 29 September 2008
2"Call to Ban Bomb." The Guardian. Date: 3 June 1995. The Guardian Foreign Page; Pg 14. LexisNexis. 29 September 2008
3Fleishman, Jeffrey. "In Peacetime Kosovo, Bomb Casualties Continue" The Philadelphia Inquirer
4"Diana charity calls for end to cluster bombs." Courier Mail. Date: 26 October 2001. World, Pg. 10 LexisNexis. 29 September 2008
5Donnelly, John "US Urged to Ban Cluster Bombs Rights Group Cites Danger to Civilians" The Boston Globe. Date: 18 December 2002. National/Foreign, Pg A27. LexisNexis. 29 September 2008
6"Threat of war: Anti-mine group calls for ban on cluster bombs." The Guardian. Date: 28 February 2003. The Guardian Home Pages, Pg. 7. LexisNexis. 29 September 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Celebrities, Bombs, and Mines
When I hear the words "celebrity activism" the first things that come to mind are Bono, Live Aid, and Angelina Jolie and the various issues surrounding these people and events. One could spend years studying why celebrities are fond of certain issues and not of others. Whatever the results of that study, right now it can be said that cluster bombs are not a particularly hot celebrity issue.
A search of LexisNexis Academic, Google, and JSTOR all reveal limited attention to the topic by celebrities. The topic seems to receive the most attention in the UK, with a mentionSir Paul McCartney leading a contingent of celebrities, including KT Tunstall, Emma Thompson, and a host of names whom I presume don't jump off the screen to anyone who isn't a frequent viewer of BBC programing, in signing a petition by UK based charity "No More Landmines." McCartney also auctioned off an amp to raise money for the charity*.
Adopt-A-Minefield is another organization associated with the issue of land mines and clearing land mines. In a Journal of Mine Action article discussing de-mining efforts in Afghanistan, it is made clear that de-mining also includes the removal of undetonated cluster bomblets. Further along in the same article, reference is made to Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones raising awareness of and funds for the organization.
Interestingly, Princess Diana's legacy has been used in reference to the issue of cluster bombs**, particularly to raise awareness of the issue in Britain. Lady Diana brought attention to the effects of and the efforts to ban land mines in the 1990s, and for many, cluster bombs are very weapons in the same vein as land mines, and the effort to ban them has been spearheaded by many of the same organizations which lead the effort to ban land mines.
It is possible that most of the celebrity involvement with the cluster munition issue is in fact through organizations which are involved in land mine removal or were involved in the campaign to ban landmines.
Did celebrities have an impact on the campaign to ban cluster munitions? Directly, it wouldn't seem so. However, celebrity involvement in the campaign to ban land mines may have impacted that campaign. If this impact was positive, it is arguable that celebrity activism on the land mine issue, laid some of the ground work for issue adoption and advocacy in cluster munition campaign.
*"IN BRIEF: Charity amp." Daily Post (Liverpool). 30 June 2008: News Pg. 2 Online. Lexis-Nexis Major U.S. and World Publications. 22 Sept. 2008
**"ANALYSIS: Hard fought landmine victory faces new threat." Birmingham Post. 19 Sept. 2007: News Pg. 11 Online. Lexis-Nexis Major U.S. and World Publications. 22 Sept. 2008
A search of LexisNexis Academic, Google, and JSTOR all reveal limited attention to the topic by celebrities. The topic seems to receive the most attention in the UK, with a mentionSir Paul McCartney leading a contingent of celebrities, including KT Tunstall, Emma Thompson, and a host of names whom I presume don't jump off the screen to anyone who isn't a frequent viewer of BBC programing, in signing a petition by UK based charity "No More Landmines." McCartney also auctioned off an amp to raise money for the charity*.
Adopt-A-Minefield is another organization associated with the issue of land mines and clearing land mines. In a Journal of Mine Action article discussing de-mining efforts in Afghanistan, it is made clear that de-mining also includes the removal of undetonated cluster bomblets. Further along in the same article, reference is made to Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones raising awareness of and funds for the organization.
Interestingly, Princess Diana's legacy has been used in reference to the issue of cluster bombs**, particularly to raise awareness of the issue in Britain. Lady Diana brought attention to the effects of and the efforts to ban land mines in the 1990s, and for many, cluster bombs are very weapons in the same vein as land mines, and the effort to ban them has been spearheaded by many of the same organizations which lead the effort to ban land mines.
It is possible that most of the celebrity involvement with the cluster munition issue is in fact through organizations which are involved in land mine removal or were involved in the campaign to ban landmines.
Did celebrities have an impact on the campaign to ban cluster munitions? Directly, it wouldn't seem so. However, celebrity involvement in the campaign to ban land mines may have impacted that campaign. If this impact was positive, it is arguable that celebrity activism on the land mine issue, laid some of the ground work for issue adoption and advocacy in cluster munition campaign.
*"IN BRIEF: Charity amp." Daily Post (Liverpool). 30 June 2008: News Pg. 2 Online. Lexis-Nexis Major U.S. and World Publications. 22 Sept. 2008
**"ANALYSIS: Hard fought landmine victory faces new threat." Birmingham Post. 19 Sept. 2007: News Pg. 11 Online. Lexis-Nexis Major U.S. and World Publications. 22 Sept. 2008
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