Every now and then it's worth having a little faith in people

92 (and rising) countries have signed up to an international ban on the use of cluster bombs in Oslo, yesterday. Once again, Scandinavia proves its greatest export is (no, not cellphones) peace.

I was in Laos about eight or nine years ago, and I got to see first-hand what impact these bombs could have, and speak to a guy who was working with the Mines Advisory Group over there trying to spot and destroy these disgusting weapons (along with other munitions still blighting the Laos countryside thirty years after the end of the Vietnam war). The reality is truly horrific. Because the bombs fragment into hundreds of small, ball-shaped 'bomblets', they are particularly destructive towards civilians. The bomblets can lay in the ground for years after the conflict has finished. Children in particular prove vulnerable, because they see the ball-shaped objects and, not knowing any better, try and play with them, only to get a limb blown off.

No weapon is a good thing, but these bombs are particularly gruesome in their design and function.

The only catch is the usual catch. The biggest manufacturers - Russia, China and the US - have all refused to sign up. The Bush Administration has implausibly claimed that signing up to the ban will "put the lives of our military men and women, and those of our coalition partners, at risk." No, Mr. Bush, invading and occupying foreign countries is what puts your soldiers' lives at risk. These bombs put everyone else's lives at risk...

So: another item to add to the list of quick and easy fixes that the Obama administration can do to improve its reputation in the world, and - more than that - actually bring about some good. Sign up in January and save some lives!