In January 2020, President Trump expanded the US military use of land mines. Reversing former President Obamas restrictions, allowing the Pentagon to deploy land mines anywhere in the world. This has prompted a heated ethical debate over whether or not the United States should use “one of the most horrific and bluntest weapons of war”. President Biden has been in office for close to a year. With no signs of reversal, many are questioning his leadership. The administration assures that his 2020 promise will be kept “after a thorough assessment”.
This article is important for 2 reasons. 1, This shows the lack of delivery by current US President Biden. This also discredicts any further promises made by the president as people simply wont believe he will follow through. Multiple human right abuse organizations are calling on congress to hold a hearing on how to reduce harm to civilians during us military operations. When ethical organizations start to question the practices of the US military, it brings global attention. The lack of action by President Biden are reflecting poorly on his national approval rate which will come back to bite him if he decides to run for a second term. My thoughts on this event is that the president and his administration are dealing with multiple issues including curbing a global pandemic and ending the war in afghanistan. With many pressing issues I can see how the reversal of the land mine policy hasnt been a first priority. Nonetheless, the president promised that he would reverse the policy and the american citizens deserve more of an explanation and a further timeline. The second reason this article is important is the international repercussions of using land mines. I will go over this in the 3rd paragraph “connecting to class”.
International relations are fragile. 1 wrong land mine accident could destroy years of relations between 2 countries. With more than 160 countries banning the use of land mines, the failure to reverse the policy has led to international disaproval. Although the United States has funded the removal of land mines in several countries including Angola, and Colombia, the stakes remain high. Will the use of United States land mines cause other countries to get involved militarily? Im certain that if civilians get killed by the use of United States land mines, other countries will hold the US responsible leading to weaker international relations and new threats made by other countries.