Just kill as much as possible even yousself, in order to create a new world without humanbeing.
Are you more importent and better than your "enemies"?

Orhan, Elazığ, Türkey

Wonder what the source for the figure of 400 can possibly be? And might there not be a price to pay for civilians involved, when large parts of a theatre (urban or not) have to be sealed off, after hostilities have concluded? Read Libanon.

Poul Pedersen, Manchester, United Kingdom

Bombs of any sort can be detonated, and thereby destroyed positively, by a timing device if they fail to explode as intended. This is already done in some weapons, and should be in all.

Noel Falconer, Couiza, France

This is a transparent, vacuous essay .

Kamm says: "hampering the military capability of the states that are most scrupulous in limiting the destructiveness of warfare"

He's talking about the nations that dropped two nuclear bombs on Japan and have killed over a million civilians in Iraq...

David Sketchley, Seville, Spain

Your critics don't do joined up thinking.I like the idea of going nuclear to destroy a runway surface or that our aggression in Irag is the last war we will fight.If we are going to be selective about the efficacy of our weapons then we had better choose our enemies with greater care.

robert everitt, wolverhampton,

Since victims of cluster bombs often are children after the end of the conflict (as seen in Lebanon in recent years), it is a good thing to make these weapons illegal.

There enough ways of killing already.

Tom, London,

To Peter, Otley, England. I agree UK and US troop are volunteers. But, they did join up in the reasonable expectation that they would be properly and full equipt for duty.

We should not limit our arsenal at all.

John, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

To Graham, Bradford:

Unlike the civilian victims of cluster bombs and other weapons of mass destruction, US/UK soldiers have chosen to fight and risk death in the US imperial resource wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Peter, Otley, England

Surely it is time for somone to go to Jail over this for mis-use of UK Taxpayer's funds.
Either the man who bought the cluster bombs claiming (unnecessarily?) that our troops might need them.
Or the man who is now about to have them destroyed, if we may find our troops need them in an emergency?

Michael Blatchford, Bath , UK

So just what are our troops supposed to defend themselves with? Human Rights? Lawyers? A white flag?
I truly despair about the intentions of this government, this decision will cost soldier's lives for such small (however sad) civilian casualties and make us the laughing stock of our allies.

Graham, Bradford, England

Cluster bombs ok 'if used carefully'. Duh!

Michael Taylor, Old Malton,

How many tank formations or airfields does the author think is under the control of the insurgents in Iraq?

Zhou Fang, Peterborough,

how on earth can we ban clusters when we still allow atomic and nuclear weapons? Is this MORE P.C. GONE MAD? Seriously, this does not make sense to me! The damage ten clusters make on a designated target compared to atomic or nuclear weapons tells me this is rubbish! In an ideal world! ??????

matt welburn, Lytham St. Annes, UK

Oh, who needs cluster bombs anyway? After all, somewhere in Old Blighty there must be a warehouse or two filled with some slightly used Enfield muskets. Methinks that when you're current government finishes dismantling your military, those old muskets are all you'll have to defend yourselves with.

Paul Woodside, San Jose, California