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Global Treaty Banning Landmines
by Glenn Woiceshyn
Dear Editor,
Re: The Signing Of The UN-Sponsored Global Treaty Banning Land Mines (Dec. 3-4, 1997)
Contrary to media reports, the UN-sponsored "global" treaty banning land
mines, currently being signed in Ottawa (Dec. 2-3, 1997) by more than 100 nations
(not including the U.S., China and Russia), is not about preventing innocent people
from being maimed or killed by the existing 60-120 million land mines buried in 71
countries.
This ban shamefully directs focus and blame at the weapons of war--and thereby away
from the cause of war. It obliterates the life-and-death distinction between those
who use weapons to initiate war (e.g., North Korea) versus those who use weapons
legitimately for self-defense (e.g., the U.S. in South Korea).
The root cause of war is collectivism or statism--which is the politics of concentrating
political power in the state at the expense of individual rights. Only statism allows
governments to sacrifice the rights of their own citizens by seizing their wealth
to manufacture weapons, and by forcing their citizens to start wars against their
neighbors for the purposes of ruling and looting them.
World War I was started by monarchist Germany and Czarist Russia--two statist countries.
World War II was started by Nazi Germany and Communist Russia--two dictatorships.
The internationalization of communism was responsible for most of the wars since
World War II--and is responsible, directly or indirectly, for most of the land mines
now planted around the world. And let's not forget other statist countries such as
Libya, Iraq, Iran and the many tribalist regimes in Africa and the former Yugoslavia.
To campaign against land mines instead of campaigning against statism is an intellectual
and moral obscenity. The United Nations itself is bent on creating a one-world state
dedicated to the principles of collectivism and statism.
The goal is obviously to obliterate the moral distinction between a freedom-loving
country, such as America, and a bloody dictatorship, such as China or Iraq.
Notice how America--the country that saved Europe from two world wars caused by European
statism--is now being chastised by the "world community" as an enemy of
peace for not signing the land-mine treaty. Yet, a murderous dictatorship like China--who
is not even expected to sign the treaty--is treated with a cautious respect it definitely
doesn't deserve. According to U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (Dem.-Vermont), the U.S.,
by not signing, "gives other countries an excuse not to sign." How naive!
If the U.S. signs, it's a major victory for dictatorships like China and North Korea
who can't be trusted even if they do sign.
The "global" treaty banning land mines establishes a dangerous precedent
for banning other weapons, which will leave freedom-loving countries at the mercy
of those untrustworthy, power-lusting, murderous thugs who rule Iraq, Iran, China,
etc.
What is needed for world peace is a "ban" on statism--or, more precisely,
an uncompromising declaration calling for the full protection of individual rights,
and an un-breached moral condemnation (and economic boycott where appropriate) of
any country that violates individual rights.
But it won't happen so long as our mainstream intellectuals choose to be "ignorant"
about the root cause of war, and promote "bleeding-heart," "feel-good,"
intellectually-bankrupt campaigns such as the UN-sponsored treaty on banning land
mines.
Cheers!
Glenn Woiceshyn
© 1997 Glenn Woiceshyn. All rights reserved.
This article can be found on-line at at http://www.capitalism.org/glennw. |
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