No more landmines

On Jan 31, the Trump administration issued a new policy allowing US forces to use anti-personnel landmines outside of the Korean peninsula, stating that restrictions would put our military "at a severe disadvantage". It reversed Clinton's 1993 moratorium, and Obama's 2014 ban to acquire and produce landmines.

Despite the global ban in 1997 signed by more than 120 nations, between 25,000 and 6,500 people a year suffer severe injuries or death from landmines planted during previous wars; 80% of the casualties are civilians, mostly children. In my own native country, Viet Nam, 800,000 tons of landmines and unexploded ordnance remained after "peace" returned to our rice fields and mountains, killing or injuring 100,000 people between 1975-2015.

Mr. Trump made the decision even after many US commanders agreed with a 1997 study by the International Red Cross that concluded mines have little tactical value and are costly and dangerous for forces deploying them. With modern warfare relying more on aerial bombing, missiles, drones and counter-terrorism, even "smart" anti-personnel landmines are obsolete.

In 2017, Mr Trump pulled the US from the Paris Climate Agreement; in 2019, from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, and the UN Arms Trade Treaty - without negotiating for safer substitutes. And now this - not the kind of American exceptionalism that protects our military, our allies, nor future generations.

Our President has frequently hinted he deserves the Nobel Peace price. Perhaps he should be reminded that the 1997 award went to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.

(Submitted to the Gazette Times, Feb 18; published March 2nd, 2020)