Cluster Munitions Convention Faces Obsolescence as Lithuania Withdraws and Major Users Stay Outside

The 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, modeled after the Ottawa Treaty banning landmines, is increasingly seen as ineffective. Lithuania has withdrawn from the agreement, and the largest users of cluster munitions, such as the United States, Russia, and Ukraine, never signed or have ignored it. The article explains that cluster munitions, which disperse smaller submunitions over a wide area, have historically had high failure rates, leaving unexploded ordnance that kills and maims civilians, including children, for decades after conflicts end. This has led to their stigmatization in public opinion. However, the convention's relevance is now questioned as key military powers continue to use these weapons, and the treaty's membership shrinks.