Abstract
The 1997 Mine Ban Treaty (MBT) was the result of the coordinated efforts of groups from many countries concerned about the impact of antipersonnel landmines. It represents a revolutionary moment in the development of global society. In December 1997, representatives of 121 nations signed the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of AntiPersonnel Mines and on Their Destruction.1 This agreement was hailed by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan as "a historic victory for the weak and vulnerable of our world."2 Antilandmine activists worked for six years to not only attract the interest of the public, celebrities, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) but also to forge a partnership with governments officials worldwide. This partnership between nonstate actors and middle power states like Canada and Norway enabled antilandmine activists to move an issue that had been marginalized in global arms control negotiations to the front of the international political agenda and to develop an international agreement to outlaw landmines even without the backing of major world powers.3.
Original language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | Landmines and Human Security |
Subtitle of host publication | International Politics and War's Hidden Legacy |
Publisher | State University of New York Press |
Pages | 21-33 |
Number of pages | 13 |
ISBN (Print) | 0791463095, 9780791463093 |
State | Published - 2004 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- General Social Sciences