These weapons are too risky

In his March 3 Opinion column, “Ukrainians beg for an effective but dangerous weapon,” Josh Rogin encouraged the United States to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine for its efforts against Russia.

Cluster munitions cannot distinguish between a Russian soldier and a Ukrainian child, but jets and missiles are aimed by human beings who can make the distinction.

The United States has itself concluded that the “failure” rate of most cluster munitions in the U.S. stockpile exceeds 1 percent, meaning that a relatively high percentage persist where they are dropped long after combat ends.

This is exactly why Congress has forbidden transfers of cluster munitions with a failure rate over 1 percent. Any short-term strategic advantage conveyed by cluster munitions the United States might transfer to Ukraine would surely come to haunt all of us years and decades from now.

Jeff Meer, Silver Spring The writer is U.S. executive director of Humanity & Inclusion, an international humanitarian organization.