Critical analysis of conventionon cluster munitions - Essay Example

Almost 90 countries joined the legal process and 37 others have already signed and ratified the agreement. Meanwhile, the greatest political powers, including the United States, Russia, China and Israel rejected the Convention and are growing more reluctant to reduce their participation in the global military movement. The big military powers like Russia, China, the United States and Israel will continue resisting their participation in the international Convention on Cluster Munitions, as long as cluster munitions are the sources of numerous military and economic benefits, which these countries use in their fight against the minor and major military enemies.

Understanding the reasons for which the biggest political powers reject the Convention on Cluster Munitions is impossible without having better understanding of what cluster munitions are and how they work. Objectively, “cluster munitions are weapons that, when launched or dropped by aircraft, disperse large numbers of sub munitions over wide areas that can be the size of two to four football fields” (UNDP). That cluster bombs do not always explode upon impact and continue threatening the civilian population remains one of the major issues of public concern.

This is also the basic reason for developing and signing the global Convention on Cluster Munitions. Apart from serving the basic instrument of casualties in military operations, cluster munitions contribute to food insecurity through the contamination of arable land and by killing livestock (UNDP). Cluster bombs block access to water and sanitation and turn into a serious barrier to economic development (UNDP). Since the World War II, cluster munitions have targeted almost 30 countries, and it is high time new legislation were developed and implemented, to reduce the risks of casualties among the civilian population (UNDP).

The technical and military features of cluster munitions make it difficult for the