On August first, the Convention on Cluster Munitions will enter into force. I speak with Steve Goose of Human Rights Watch about what the treaty means in terms of the future use and production of cluster bombs, why they deserve to be banned, and what the United States was thinking by not signing the treaty.
One thing worth pointing out is how completely counterproductive the use of these kinds of weapons are in a counter-insurgency. If winning hearts and minds is the goal of a military campaign, these bombs become more of a liability than military necessity.