From the BBC:
"What are cluster bombs and why is US sending them to Ukraine?"
"The US has announced it is complying with a Ukrainian request to supply it with controversial cluster munitions. The move has been criticised by human rights groups as the weapon is banned by more than 100 countries. What are cluster munitions?
Cluster munitions are a method of dispersing large numbers of tiny bomblets from a rocket, missile or artillery shell that scatters them in mid-flight over a wide area. They are intended to explode on impact but a significant proportion are "duds", meaning they don't explode initially - this happens especially if they land on wet or soft ground. They can then explode at a later date on being picked up or trodden on, killing or maiming the victim. From a military perspective, they can be horribly effective when used against dug-in ground troops in trenches and fortified positions, rendering large areas too dangerous to move around in until carefully cleared.
Why are they banned?
More than 100 countries, including the UK, France and Germany, have signed an international treaty - the Convention on Cluster Munitions - that outlaws the use or stockpiling of these weapons due to their indiscriminate effect on civilian populations. Children are particularly prone to injury as the bomblets can resemble a small toy left in a residential or farmland area and are often picked up out of curiosity. Human rights groups have described cluster munitions as "abhorrent" and even a war crime.
Who still uses them?
Both Russia and Ukraine have been using cluster munitions since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Neither have signed the treaty banning them. Nor has the US, but it has previously criticised Russia's extensive use of the weapon. Russian cluster munitions reportedly have a "dud rate" of 40%, meaning large numbers remain a hazard on the ground, whereas the average dud rate is believed to be close to 20%. The Pentagon estimates its own cluster bomblets have a dud rate of less than 3%.
Why is Ukraine asking for them?
Ukraine's forces are running desperately low on artillery shells, largely because, like the Russians, they use them up at an extraordinarily high rate and Ukraine's Western allies cannot replace them at the speed they are needed. In the largely static, grinding battlefronts of southern and eastern Ukraine, artillery has become a key weapon. The Ukrainians now face a daunting task in trying to dislodge the invading Russians from their well dug-in defensive positions stretched along a 1,000km (621-mile) battlefront. In the absence of enough artillery shells, Ukraine has asked the US to re-stock its supplies of cluster munitions to target the Russian infantry manning all those defensive trenches. This has not been an easy decision for Washington, and is deeply unpopular with many Democrats and human rights advocates. The debate has been going on for at least six months.
What effect will this US decision have?
The immediate effect will be to knock away much of the moral ground Washington sits on in this war. Russia's numerous alleged war crimes are well-documented but this move is likely to draw accusations of US hypocrisy. Cluster munitions are a hideous, indiscriminate weapon that is banned in much of the world for good reason. This US move will inevitably place it somewhat at odds with its Western allies and any perceived split in that alliance is exactly what Russian President Vladimir Putin wants and needs."
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TLDR: Cluster Bombs are basically weapons of mass destruction and the US is selling these weapons to Ukraine now.
From a US standpoint the move is a no-brainer. Massive stockpiles of these weapons were rotting away in the US and this move will in one swoop off load them and solve a problem. I dont know enough to comment on how much of an impact this will have, but if the US supplies enough of them ( and nothing to suggest they wont ), then i believe this will lead to a Russian response of some kind.
In terms of morality I do not envisage much blowback from Nato countries noting that no one cares about 2014, or to comment or investigate nord stream, and everyone had conveniently forgotten the bombings that took place over 7 years in eastern Ukraine, by Ukraine, on its own people (that were pro-russian) and the fact that elements in Ukraine are ultra nationalist, or say, of a questionable persuasion in terms of ideology. I think if Ukraine bombed the Nuclear power plant most EU countries would still side with a US narrative but the US itself might actually balk at this. That might be one step too far, even for the US (noting we would much closer to WW3 if the US did spin the narrative of Russia blowing up the power plant). It may be that the US purposely blamed Ukraine for Nord Stream just to warn Ukraine that they will aid Ukraine, provided Ukraine does not start WW3.
This post was edited by ferdia on Jul 8 2023 03:24am