You might think that landmine stockpiles are only a problem in war-torn countries like Cambodia and Bosnia, yet the United States has an arsenal of 10 million mines. The Obama administration has maintained George W. Bush's decision not to sign the international treaty that bans landmines, prompting criticism from anti-landmine activists. The State Department will, however, send representatives to the treaty's summit in Cartagena, Colombia this week. Are landmines a necessary component of U.S. security? Or, should America join the 156 nations that ban them?
Guests:
Jody Williams, 1997 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, founding coordinator of International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL). Ms. Williams talks with us from the Summit on a Mine-Free World, in Cartagena, Colombia. The conference goes through December 4, 2009.
Stephen Rademaker, Senior Counsel to the BGR Group, Former Assistant Secretary of State (2002-2006)