File photo of Rockeye II cluster bombs. ABC News/Reuters.
The Biden administration is expected to announce that they will be sending controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine. ABC News. Cluster weapons are missiles, bombs or artillery shells that break up into smaller bomblets. They are controversial as they pose a major threat to civilians if they fail to explode. Cluster weapons are banned by 120 countries but not by the United States or either side of the Ukraine conflict as both Ukraine and Russia have used them. The cluster munitions expected to be sent to Ukraine are for 155mm artillery shells.
My Comment:
This will probably cause some amount of distress among Biden's left wing supporters who have long argued that cluster munitions are a war crime. Many of these people think that using these weapons is a line the Biden administration should not cross.
It is very true that cluster munitions do end up maiming and killing people long after the conflict is over. Children are especially vulnerable since they usually don't recognize the danger and at least some of the cluster munitions resemble toys. The use of these weapons will continue to kill Ukrainian and Russian civilians long after the war ends.
With that being said, both sides of the Ukraine conflict are already using cluster munitions, or in the Ukrainian case, were using them. I am guessing they were begging for these weapons because they had long since ran out of their original stockpile. I did find it hilarious that the Defense Department spokesman quoted in the article said, without any evidence, that Russian ones are somehow more dangerous than ours.
So I don't really find this deployment to be much worse than what we are already doing. A few more cluster munitions for a weapon system that the Ukrainians can barely use due to effective Russian counter battery fire isn't going to be a gamechanger, just like all the other wunderwaffe that we have sent to the conflict. Sure, a few more kids will get maimed years from now but that was probably going to happen anyways.
I just find it funny that the party that supposedly cares about the danger of cluster munitions are going to be the ones responsible. Indeed, some members of congress, including Barbra Lee, are speaking out against this. I think there is a chance that that this could cause a mini civil war between the far left and the Democratic establishment.
I am alarmed to hear @POTUS is considering sending cluster bombs to Ukraine.
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) July 6, 2023
Many people are unaware of these dangerous weapons. (🧵👇🏾) https://t.co/49rXLc0NeQ
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