this post was submitted on 31 Jul 2023
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i don't see what this really has to do with my point—and i'd also question that the history of cluster munitions shows restraint in their usage on the specific bases that they have a better theoretical spread of fire and efficiency than normal shelling. in general, when they're used they're used to excess and without much regard for what you're talking about here because that's just kind of what happens when you give people a new weapon. that's part of why they're so devastating to civilian populations even well after wars have ended
The big difference here is Ukraine is bombing their own territory. Ukraine is not going to use these indiscriminately, they're not going to target civilian areas (like Russia already has). They have an invested interest in using them carefully and cleaning up the mess ASAP as soon as the war is over.
you're free to take their word for this but every state fighting a war says that they're going to use weapons responsibly. how many of them actually do so, or don't commit war crimes in doing so? the US military, literally the most well funded and powerful combat force in the world (and a force which has not fought for its survival in a long time), still routinely kills civilians in circumstances where that's avoidable. the idea that Ukraine will be "careful" in its usage of cluster bombs and not misuse them is hopium at best—particularly given the circumstances it's in. and even if they want to be, again, the point of a cluster bomb is that it's not a careful munition!
i also don't think "the bad guys are doing this" is justification for also doing a bad thing that is widely recognized as a crime.
Ukraine has thought about this. They are bombing there own territory. They know this will leave unexploded ordinance. The know the more they use them, the more risk it is to their own citizens. They know if they use them in civilian centers they risk killing their own citizens. They're not stupid, please don’t pretend like they are.
They’re fighting for survival, that’s plenty justification. They were invaded, Russia kidnapped their children and disappeared them. War sucks, people, including civilians, die. The longer this war goes on, the more people will die. The longer this war goes on, the more unexploded ordinance, conventional or cluster, will be left.
I’m sorry I just don’t understand your perspective. It seems like you believe that Ukraine would use these without caution within their borders because other aggressor nations have used them without cation outside their borders. That they will not put any effort into cleanup of their borders at the end of the war because other aggressor nations didn’t cleanup outside their borders at the end of a war.
It seems like you think they’re going to bomb their own cities and just leave them to be stumbled upon later. There will be a massive cleanup effort after the war is done, it will go on for years, or likely decades. Cluster munitions will help end the war sooner, that’s just an objective fact. Yeah, they suck, so do conventional bombs, so do mines, so does war in general.
Ukraine's judgement isn't infallible or above criticism and it is possible for them to be wrong. the idea that the whole country is being infantilized or called stupid in being told not to commit war crimes or use what are widely recognized as criminal munitions is just silly.
this is an argument for unrestricted war crimes—because those would make the war end quicker—and i hope you understand that. "survival" does not mean "a get out of jail free card to do whatever you want, even if it's against international law or widely seen as illegal."
this is sort of what i mean here, by the way. you are the sort of person who is going to, if Ukraine starts executing Russian soldiers or taking retributive action against citizens of Ukraine who support Russia for whatever reason, be the first in line to defend that on these frankly horrifying grounds.
How dare you say I would find that acceptable.
That is not acceptable conduct for a moderator.
your argument necessitates finding conduct like that acceptable if it occurs, whether you believe that or not. you already think it's acceptable to use bombs that are widely regarded as unlawful and criminal and which disproportionately kill civilians because the threat is existential—how is it suddenly beyond the pale in such circumstances under your premises to execute Russian soldiers (the people literally fighting to end Ukraine's existence)? and mind you, i'm also not the one who just said "War sucks, people, including civilians, die." in response to someone objecting to the use of cluster munitions on the very basis that they will kill innocent people. if you're not understanding why someone would say you're passively or actively fine with Ukraine killing non-combatants, i'm not entirely sure what to say.
It really does not and you've completely misrepresented that poster's argument. You can try to make the argument that their claim and executing POWs can be linked, but I think it's absolutely ridiculous. Support your opinion, or try to make a logical connection, if you like. At the moment, you're just putting words in someone else's mouth.
i think i've more than substantiated the point—it seems pretty clear to me that the poster just refuses to bite the bullet because they recognize biting said bullet would cast them as kind of psychotic. as with them: it's not "putting words in their mouth" because you don't like the conclusion of your own logic.
How have you done that? You've equated "there is a rationale for using cluster bombs" with "support executing POWs". These are not comparable and have extremely different impacts. War is not black and white and things that are bad are not all the same level of bad.
For the record, I don't support the use of cluster bombs and think it was a bad move by the U.S. to supply them.
i can't walk you to a conclusion you don't want to come to, sorry; i've more than elaborated at length here and my point is being pretty clearly understood by many people reading this thread so i see no need to spend another 8 replies doing this
That's precisely the purpose of a debate. I'm happy to read your rationale for why the two examples are equivalent, but you have not supported that statement in this thread. All you've said is that you're "logically following from those quotes". I don't see the logic you followed, and neither does the OP who vehemently disagrees with your conclusion.
you have badly missed my point here: i don't care that you personally don't think i have substantiated the point; i think i have, and you're not entitled to ten more posts from me to substantiate to your satisfaction the point.
No, that is NOT the issue. You said I would be first in line to defend them executing Russian soldiers. Which is absolutely false.
Don't put words in my mouth.
okay but... under your established premises, what is the distinction between using cluster bombs and this hypothetical—and why would you not be other than now recognizing how your position kind of inevitably leads to war crime apologia and not wanting to bite that bullet? arguably i've, under your premises, given you something more justifiable to work with because at least the hypothetical soldiers at one point were combatants trying to annex Ukraine. the civilians are just existing and are not guilty of anything.
No buts, this isn’t about cluster munitions anymore. This is about your conduct here.
Stop trying to put words in my mouth. Stop setting up straw men to tear down. It’s not acceptable for normal users, it’s not acceptable for moderators.
You clearly do not understand my premise if you think the accidental and tragic death of civilians from a unexploded ordinance is the same as executing POWs. I don’t even know how to respond, there is a clear difference.
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Using cluster munitions has consequences, not using them also has consequences. This is a trolley problem with 2 shitty outcomes. However the people who have the most information, the most to gain, the most to loose, and have to deal with the ongoing consequences believe that adding cluster munitions to the arsenal is the best option. They have weighed the consequences of using them against not using them and they’re going to use them.
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I have been nothing but polite and arguing in good faith. You have not. Be(e) nice, Be(e) Better.
you've spent a bunch of time complaining that i'm being uncharitable to you (even though i'm using direct quotes from you and logically following from those quotes) and you're again demonstrating what i mean here in different words. if they weigh the best option is to begin executing Russian soldiers—a thing they could do at any time and which under your premises you have no way of calling unjustified—how can your position here be anything but explicitly in favor of that? your position here outsources the entirety of itself to what Ukraine thinks should be done, and leaves no outs for what you think isn't moral if Ukraine starts doing such things!
Because you are.
I. Do. Not. Support. Ukraine. Executing. POWs. Full. Stop.
I’m done, you’re arguing in bad faith, and clearly have no intention of stopping.
I think Ukraine, specifically, has a huge incentive to show as much restraint in their use as possible here. If you have evidence that defending militaries using cluster munitions typically fail to do so, then I'd be interested to see that.
ironically the best recent example of this is Ukraine (most sovereign states being invaded at this stage of history don't have or aren't known to have cluster munitions)—it is exceedingly likely that in the past 9 years Ukraine has used them without much restraint. Georgia also admitted to using them pretty freely when they were being invaded by Russia in 2008.
As far as I can tell from a quick skim, that article is about firing cluster munitions into populated areas. I think we can both agree that this is a war crime and the people responsible should be in prison. I don't think it would have been any less of a war crime if either Ukraine or Russia had been firing conventional munitions into populated areas, though. I also don't think it has much bearing on Ukraine's likely actions in this war, since it's a conventional war rather than an insurgency with most fighting taking place inside major cities - even ignoring basic decency, there is simply no reason for them to brutalise their own population that way. I was more interested in evidence of a defensive use of cluster munitions which hadn't been properly cleaned up, which was the direction of the conversation to that point.
We're at an impasse and I'm going to agree to disagree here. Specifically on them being used without much regard for accuracy because that just seems nonsensical. The whole goal of shooting at a thing (or a person) is to hit it (or them). Firing at random just wastes ammo and doesn't help the war effort. As for "used to excess", how do you define what's excessive? Certainly an artillery battery will not keep firing once the target has been killed. And as for the cluster munitions being devastating to civilian populations well after the war ends, so are mines and no one is complaining about either side using those. Not to mention the Russians started using cluster munitions first so if anything this is just achieving force parity.