On Sat, 24 Jan 2004 22:59:31 -0500, "Mike Yared"
wrote:

Cluster bombs called 'war crime'
Britain's use of cluster bombs in Iraq, similar to the ones used by the
United States military, is a "war crime" and should be referred to the
International Criminal Court (ICC) for prosecution, academics, lawyers and
human rights activists in London said earlier this week.
at http://www.washtimes.com/world/20040...3737-4342r.htm

Why did the lawyers not sue Saddam Hussein first? Or the late Soviet leaders
for the the Soviet Union's 1956 Invasion of Hungary? the 1968 Invasion of
Czechoslovakia; and the 1979 invasion of Afghanistan? Will the late Yuri
Andropov and Leonid Brezhnev be labeled as war criminals in historical
terms?


Well, you should check out the full article-- this is a group of
people, who seem to have little credibility-- even Human Rights watch
isn't in their corner.

Honestly, with a very few exceptonis (Chemical and Biological, and
strategic nukes), as I understand it, the manner of hte use of the
weapon is what defines whether or not it is a warcrime.
Using a cluster bomb on a infantry column is fine. Using one one a
group of peacefully demonstrating civilians is a crime.
They also rather miss the point that while yes, a Cluster bomb will
kill over a larger area, in some cases it can actually be less
dangerous to civilians than an ordinary bomb-- if you have a group of
people in a building that is in the AOE of a cluster bomb most damage
will be restricted to the facade and outer doors-- if you accidently
or on purpose drop a 500/1000lb bomb next to it, damage is likely to
reach...considerably further inside.