My heart wept reading about European countries leaving the Mine Ban Treaty.
Politics and warfare have changed since its signing in Ottawa in 1997, but these weapons’ devastating impact on civilians has not.
I learned about the scourge of landmines in my first job as an intern with the Friends Committee on National Legislation in 1996. FCNL was an active leader in the US Campaign to Ban Landmines, which met in our building. We lobbied Congress and the White House for the US to join a global treaty banning these horrific weapons. I attended the Ottawa Treaty with FCNL’s then-Executive Secretary Joe Volk, and we celebrated with international advocates, despite the U.S.’s refusal to sign.
Since that time, we’ve been active in the struggle against these indiscriminate weapons. We have persisted in advocating that the US sign and ratify the Ottawa Treaty, and our staff coordinated the US Campaign to Ban Landmines and Cluster Munitions Coalition for a number of years. We have lobbied for a ban on cluster munitions, including supporting nearly half a dozen bipartisan amendments in the House to prevent the transfer of U.S. cluster munitions, as well successfully advocating for President Biden to overturn President Trump’s 2020 landmine policy.
Even without major powers ratification, the Ottawa Treaty has saved countless lives. It ended landmines’ production, use, and transfer by many countries, and has enabled extensive mine removal and survivor assistance in communities that have suffered for decades.
Some argue countries need landmines as war spreads, but they keep killing long after conflicts end and stop communities from fully thriving in peacetime. The greatest costs are paid by future generations, especially children.
If President Trump and Congress want to end endless wars, the U.S. should join, preserve, and expand the Ottawa Treaty. European countries are justifiably fearful of Russian aggression, but landmines are not the answer.
Safety for everyone means ending wars with diplomacy, investing in recovery, and banning these indiscriminate weapons for good.
