Change Watch: New American cluster bomb may blow up anti-weapon treaty

Once again, the U.S. appears to ready oppose an international treaty designed to limit the use of inhumane weapons.

The Sensor Fuzed Weapon is a marvel of military technology, says its maker, Textron Defense Systems. An advanced "cluster bomb," it is designed to spray 40 individual projectiles of molten copper, destroying enemy tanks across a 30-acre swath of battlefield.

But the bomb ... violates terms of a landmark international treaty limiting cluster bombs to 10 bomblets or less. The pending treaty, signed by 98 nations last year in Oslo, has been sought for decades by human rights groups, which say that cluster bombs kill indiscriminately and leave behind duds that kill or maim unsuspecting civilians.

Now Textron, with the support of the Pentagon and the State Department, is mounting a campaign to derail the cluster-bomb treaty and write a new set of rules under the United Nations that would make it easier to sell its weapon around the world.

The rest of the story: Made in Mass., bomb stirs global debate - Textron seeks to quash cluster munitions pact by Bryan Bender (Boston.com 2009-09-29)

See, also: Landmine Ban Treaty Turns 10: Past Time for U.S. to Join
World Marks Ten Years Of Landmine Ban Treaty