Free Republic

Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia intend to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention banning the use and stockpiling of anti-personnel mines, the defense ministers of the four countries have announced in a joint statement. The ministers said that since signing the treaty, “the security situation in our region has fundamentally deteriorated.” Leaving the 1997 treaty, which has been ratified or acceded to by more than 160 nations but not by Russia, will allow Poland and the three Baltic countries to start stockpiling landmines again. The ministers highlighted the threat posed by Russia since its invasion of Ukraine, describing the situation as...

The Polish prime minister has said the government is preparing to introduce “military training” for all adult males in the country and that the initiative should be ready “by the end of the year”. Donald Tusk told parliament on Friday that if Russia took control of parts of Ukraine, then Poland would find itself in a “difficult geographical situation”. He said: “We are preparing large-scale military training for every adult man in Poland. Our goal is to finalize the plan by year’s end to ensure a well-trained reserve force ready for potential threats. “If Ukraine loses the war, or if...

US to Alter Land Mine Policy By Joshua Kucera, JDW Staff Reporter, Washington, DC The US announced on 27 February that it would continue to use some land mines indefinitely and would not sign an international treaty outlawing the weapons, reversing the position of the previous administration. The Bush administration said it would allow the military to continue to use 'smart' land mines, which can be deactivated when a conflict is over. It also said it would continue to use the more traditional persistent land mines until 2010 on the Korean peninsula, rather than 2006 as was the policy of...