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There are more than a hundred and eighty different types of incendiary weapons.
They basically are weapons that produce fire through a chemical reaction.
The best-known incendiary weapon is ***.
*** is well-known from its use in the Vietnam war and indeed
it was the horrors of *** that led governments shortly after the end of the
Vietnam war to create a new international law that has some regulations and
some prohibitions on incendiary weapons. Incendiary weapons are still being used
by numerous different countries, still being produced, still being
stockpiled by large numbers and they're causing too many civilian casualties
around the world; in Afghanistan, in Gaza in Iraq,
in Chechnya.
It's a problem that
governments tried to address three decades ago but it hasn't worked.
They need to go back to the drawing board and fix that existing law.
It doesn't cover all incendiary weapons. For example, it doesn't cover white
phosphorus, which is being intentionally used as an indendiary weapon by various
fighting forces around the world.
White phosphorus is fickle. Dual purpose, it can be used for smoke screens or
illumination, but can be and in fact is also used intentionally as an incendiary
weapon.
White phosphorus creates horrible burns. It will stick to your skin.
It will burn through to the bone.
If you cover it up with bandages, when you take off the bandages and expose it to oxygen again,
it will flare up again.
So you've got a weapon that
creates
particularly cruel injuries, a weapon that can't be accurately targeted on the
military objective.
We believe that from a humanitarian perspective,
the best solution would indeed be a comprehensive prohibition;
to do away with the use of incendiary weapons as a means of
warfare.
There are many other steps that could be taken in the interim.
You can fix this protocol
that exists now
by making sure that it covers weapons, like white phosphorus, and making sure
that it has the same comprehensive prohibition on use in populated areas
for all types of incendiary weapons and all delivery methods. You could also
have a prohibition on use of incendiary weapons for antipersonnel purposes, meaning
you wouldn't use them against either civilians, which is illegal in any event
under international law, but you wouldn't use them against soldiers either because
of the horrible injuries that they cause.