主题：点灯放火 -- 司徒彼

Human Rights Watch researchers have uncovered evidence that Russian aircraft dropped cluster bombs in populated areas in Georgia, killing at least 11 civilians and injuring dozens, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch called upon Russia to immediately stop using cluster bombs, weapons so dangerous to civilians that more than 100 nations have agreed to ban their use. "Cluster bombs are indiscriminate killers that most nations have agreed to outlaw," said Marc Garlasco, senior military analyst at Human Rights Watch. "Russia's use of this weapon is not only deadly to civilians, but also an insult to international efforts to avoid a global humanitarian disaster of the kind caused by landmines."

The Pentagon not only told the world yesterday that it would keep on using cluster bombs -- it called the controversial weapons life-savers, too.

The Defense Department unveiled its new policy on cluster munitions. In it, the weapons, which scatter tiny bomblets over huge swaths of territory, are described as "legitimate weapons with clear military utility." Not only do "they provide distinct advantages against a range of targets," a Defense Department press release notes, but "their use reduces risks to U.S. forces and can save U.S. lives." The Pentagon says the munitions will continue to be used, "in a manner consistent with the law of armed conflict."