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PARIS — The U.S. activist Jody Williams was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for leading the global campaign to ban anti-personnel mines. That same year, the signing of the Ottawa Treaty — now ratified by 165 countries — marked the success of her efforts. It prohibits the production, stockpiling and use of these mines, which make no distinction between civilians and soldiers and continue to claim victims decades after conflicts end.
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Today, Williams is furious. “It makes me want to scream,” she told the British newspaper The Guardian, reacting to the announcement by five Eastern and Northern European countries — Poland, the three Baltic states and Finland — of their intention to leave the Ottawa Treaty and reclaim their freedom of action.
All five are members of the European Union and NATO, and they are among those most exposed to the Russian threat following the invasion of Ukraine. Their move signals that they are prepared to use every available weapon against Russia, which, like the United States and China, is not a party to the Ottawa Treaty.
Weapon of mass mutilation
If the process goes through — the decision still needs to be ratified by their national parliaments — these five countries will be free in six months to use these banned weapons. This timeline explains the outcry that followed their announcement, aimed at persuading them to reconsider.
It’s really mind-boggling. Landmines do not stop an invasion.
Williams, who once united thousands of NGOs around the world and persuaded numerous states to join her cause, has expressed her outrage plainly, saying “It’s really mind-boggling. Landmines do not stop an invasion. Landmines don’t influence the outcome of a war. All they do is mutilate or kill your own people. That’s why it blows my mind – it’s so stupid.”
In France, the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights has urged the government to reaffirm its support for the Ottawa Treaty — a move Paris is hesitant to make, not wanting to openly criticize its Eastern European partners who are facing an unprecedented situation.
International law eroding
The consequences of these countries’ decisions are twofold. First, it would allow the return of these deadly mines to European soil, bringing all the short- and long-term risks they entail. In countries where mines were heavily used, such as Cambodia or Angola, civilians — including children — continue to be killed or maimed by mines laid decades ago.
More broadly, it signals yet another setback for international humanitarian law, which is being eroded on multiple fronts, from Ukraine to Gaza to Sudan.
The laws of war have long been seen as a hallmark of human progress
The laws of war, painstakingly developed since the late 19th century, have long been seen as a hallmark of human progress; their current decline is an ominous sign.
It sends a troubling message that Europe — which aspires to be a guardian of international law and reason in these turbulent times — is now setting a bad example, at least in some of its member states, and not the most irrational ones.
Adopting the same banned weapons as its adversaries will not help Europe embody the moral strength the world so badly needs amid the chaos.
