Facing Russia’s Threat, European Nations Reject Landmine Ban

Facing Russia’s Threat, European Nations Reject Landmine Ban

The news last week that Poland and the three Baltic nations are withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention banning member nations from using anti-personnel landmines (APL) may surprise some observers. But it shouldn’t. The lofty goals of the agreement simply can’t withstand the harsh realities on the ground. At the Convention’s first meeting in 1999, host-nation President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique declared it “a driving force … in order to ensu…