Contrary to media reports, the UN-sponsored “global” treaty banning land mines signed in December of 1997 by more than 100 nations, excluding the US, Russia and China, is not about preventing innocent people from being maimed or killed by the existing 60-120 million land mines buried in 71 countries.
| This ban ominously and shamefully directs focus and blame at the weapons of war — and thereby away from the cause of war. |
This ban ominously and shamefully directs focus and blame at the weapons of war — and thereby away from the cause of war. And it obliterates the life-and-death distinction between those who use weapons to initiate war, such as the North Koreans, versus those who use weapons legitimately for self-defense, such as the US in South Korea.
The root cause of war is collectivism or statism — which is the politics of concentrating political power in the collective or state at the expense of individual rights. Only statism allows governments to sacrifice the rights of their own citizens by seizing their wealth to manufacture weapons, and by forcing their citizens to start wars against their neighbors for the purposes of ruling and looting them.
World War I was started by monarchist Germany and Czarist Russia — two statist countries. World War II was started by Nazi Germany and Communist Russia — two dictatorships.
| Only statism allows governments to sacrifice the rights of their own citizens by seizing their wealth to manufacture weapons, and by forcing their citizens to start wars against their neighbors for the purposes of ruling and looting them. |
The internationalization of communism was responsible for most of the wars since World War II — and is responsible, directly or indirectly, for most of the land mines now planted around the world. And let’s not forget other statist countries such as Libya, Iraq, Iran and the many tribalist regimes in Africa and the former Yugoslavia.
To campaign against land mines instead of campaigning against statism is an intellectual and moral obscenity. The United Nations itself is bent on creating a one-world state dedicated to the principles of collectivism and statism.
The goal is obviously to obliterate the moral distinction between a freedom-loving country, such as the US, and a bloody dictatorship, such as China or Iraq.
Notice how America — the country that saved Europe from two world wars caused by European statism — is now being chastised by the “world community” as an enemy of peace for not signing the land-mine treaty. Yet, a murderous dictatorship like China — who is not even expected to sign the treaty — is treated with a cautious respect it definitely doesn’t deserve. According to US Senator Patrick Leahy (Dem.-Vermont), the US, by not signing, “gives other countries an excuse not to sign.” How naive! If the US signs, it’s a major victory for dictatorships like China and North Korea who can’t be trusted even if they do sign.
| If the US signs, it’s a major victory for dictatorships like China and North Korea who can’t be trusted even if they do sign. |
The “global” treaty banning land mines establishes a dangerous precedent for banning other weapons, which will leave freedom-loving countries at the mercy of those untrustworthy, power-lusting, murderous thugs who rule Iraq, Iran, China, etc.
What is needed for world peace is a “ban” on statism — or, more precisely, an uncompromising declaration calling for the full protection of individual rights, and an un-breached moral condemnation (and economic boycott where appropriate) of any country that violates individual rights.
But it won’t happen so long as our mainstream intellectuals choose to be “ignorant” about the root cause of war, and promote “bleeding-heart,” “feel-good,” intellectually-bankrupt campaigns such as the UN-sponsored treaty on banning land mines.
