A Blast from the Past

Though some countries, (*ahem* the US *ahem*) refuse to join the rest of the civilized world in renouncing the use of land mines under the Ottawa Treaty, even those who have signed are dragging their feet at following the commitment.

About 120,000 anti-personnel mines have been peppering the nothern border between Chile and Peru since 1976, when the two nations had a border dispute which nearly lead to war. Three decades later, only about 12,000 of the mines have been removed. These weapons, commonly considered inhumane because of their lasting threat to civilians, have caused 310 deaths in the region.

Now, Juvenal Ordóñez, the leader of Peru's nationalist party, is calling for the Chilean government to step up and fulfil their obligations by removing the rest of the mines before 2009. Though this would come as a huge cost to the capital-strapped Chilean government, it is important to maintain positive relations between the two neighbors. Chile and Peru have had a perpetually tense relationship, and recent progress may be halted unless Chile does as it has promised.

All this comes on the heels of Chile's recent support of a treaty renouncing cluster bombs. While Chile's rhetoric serves as a model for humane warfare (if such a thing is possible), the country must walk the walk before anyone will listen to the talk.