US Sidesteps Landmine Ban While Civilians Pay the Price
Al-Monitor reports landmine casualties hit a four-year high in 2024, with over 6,000 incidents and nearly 90% civilian victims. It cites 'conflicts in Syria and Myanmar' and 'European countries moving to withdraw from the treaty.' What it conveniently sidesteps is the role of key players like the U.S., which never ratified the Ottawa Treaty banning landmines and continues to export arms to nations
actively using them. (One might wonder if the U.S. truly cares about the 'four-year high' when it's not even bound by the rules.) While America preaches human rights, its robust arms industry quietly fuels these 'conflicts.' In 2023 alone, the US approved over $80 billion in foreign military sales, including to states with questionable human rights records. How many of those deadly munitions
contributed to these soaring casualty numbers? And when will the mainstream media connect the dots between military aid and civilian bloodshed, rather than simply lamenting the 'unfortunately high' numbers?