ARMS SALES

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ARMS SALES AND MILITARY AID

Michael Brennan’s Responses…………………………………….3

Mark Lawrence’s Responses………………………………………4

Chellie Pingree’s Responses……………………………………….5

Ethan Strimling’s Responses………………………………………..6

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1. Do you support an international treaty to ban cluster

bombs? Yes.

2. Would you vote to make the United States a signatory of

the 1997 Convention and Prohibition of the Use,
Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel
Mines and their Destruction better known as the 1997
Mine Ban Treaty or Ottowa Treaty? Yes.

3. Do you support eliminating US military aid and weapons

sales to governments using child soldiers? Yes.

4. Do you support eliminating US military aid and weapons

sales to Israel? See explanation below.

5. Do you support eliminating US military aid and weapons

sales to Pakistan? See explanation below.

6. Do you support eliminating military aid and arms sales to

countries deemed undemocratic by the U.S. State
Department? See explanation below.

7. Do you support selling weapons or providing military

assistance to countries in conflict? If it depends on the
country, what criteria would you use to comply with the
US Arms Export Control Act? Depends on the country. See
explanation below.

I believe that the US should be a party to an international arms

trade treaty that would state clearly that all international transfers
of arms shall be authorized by a recognized state and carried out in
accordance with national laws and procedures that reflect, as a
minimum, states’ obligations under international law. Such a treaty
would also clearly state that states shall not authorize international
transfers of arms that violate their expressed obligations regarding
arms under international law. I would support making all future
decisions on military aid and weapons sales to ALL countries by first
consulting the obligations and prohibitions of such a treaty.
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1. Do you support an international treaty to ban cluster

bombs? Yes.

2. Would you vote to make the United States a signatory of

the 1997 Convention and Prohibition of the Use,
Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel
Mines and their Destruction better known as the 1997
Mine Ban Treaty or Ottowa Treaty? I support signing the
treaty.

3. Do you support eliminating US military aid and weapons

sales to governments using child soldiers? Congress needs
to review on a case-by-case basis any allegations of U.S. military
aid and weapons sales to governments using child soldiers.

4. Do you support eliminating US military aid and weapons

sales to Israel? No.

5. Do you support eliminating US military aid and weapons

sales to Pakistan? No.

6. Do you support eliminating military aid and arms sales to

countries deemed undemocratic by the U.S. State
Department? I believe each country should be examined on a
case-by-case basis. I do not believe our foreign aid should be
contingent on the establishment of western-style democracies.
We should look at the humanitarian policies of that nation, the
international and American interests at stake, and the purpose
for which such aid is to be used.

7. Do you support selling weapons or providing military

assistance to countries in conflict? If it depends on the
country, what criteria would you use to comply with the
US Arms Export Control Act? I would use the criteria I note
above.

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1. Do you support an international treaty to ban cluster

bombs? Yes.

2. Would you vote to make the United States a signatory of

the 1997 Convention and Prohibition of the Use,
Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel
Mines and their Destruction better known as the 1997
Mine Ban Treaty or Ottowa Treaty? Yes.

3. Do you support eliminating US military aid and weapons

sales to governments using child soldiers? Yes.

4. Do you support eliminating US military aid and weapons

sales to Israel? No.

5. Do you support eliminating US military aid and weapons

sales to Pakistan? Yes. By providing F16 fighters capable of
delivering nuclear warheads to BOTH Pakistan and India, the US
has only served to increase the possibility of conflict between the
two countries.

6. Do you support eliminating military aid and arms sales to

countries deemed undemocratic by the U.S. State
Department? Yes.

7. Do you support selling weapons or providing military

assistance to countries in conflict? If it depends on the
country, what criteria would you use to comply with the
US Arms Export Control Act? No.

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1. Do you support an international treaty to ban cluster

bombs? Yes. Cluster bombs are designed to scatter widely and
detonate when they hit their target. However, upwards of 30
percent of these explosives fail to explode on contact and remain
a risk to innocent lives long after conflicts have ended. These
bombs can be as devastating as landmines to the civilian
population that is left to deal with the unexploded remnants.

2. Would you vote to make the United States a signatory of

the 1997 Convention and Prohibition of the Use,
Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel
Mines and their Destruction better known as the 1997
Mine Ban Treaty or Ottowa Treaty? Yes. The Treaty stops the
production and development of anti-personnel mines and
requires the destruction of any stockpiles. The United States has
refused to sign unless the treaty includes an exception for the
DMZ between North and South Korea, stating that the million
landmines in this area help maintain peace between the two
countries. However, other mining options are available under
the terms of the Ottawa Treaty, including anti-tank mines, anti-
handling devices and other explosive devices. Landmines that
remain buried long after conflicts have ended continue to maim
and injury innocent civilians worldwide.

3. Do you support eliminating US military aid and weapons

sales to governments using child soldiers? Yes. The
problem of child soldiers is most critical in Africa where child
soldiers, some as young as nine years old, are being used in a
number of countries. Our money would be better spent
supporting programs specifically aimed at disarming child
soldiers, giving them new skills and helping them return to their
communities.

4. Do you support eliminating US military aid and weapons

sales to Israel? No. We need to work with Israel and the
Palestinians to bring peace and stability to the Gaza Strip and the
West Bank and to create an independent Palestinian state
alongside Israel. Israel is our strongest alley in this volatile
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region of the world; it is a strong democracy that continues to be

threatened by countries that refuse to recognize Israel as a
legitimate political entity. Israel deserves our continued aid and
support.

5. Do you support eliminating US military aid and weapons

sales to Pakistan? Yes. The United States gives millions of
dollars each month in aid to Pakistan. When Pakistani President
Musharraf suspended constitutional rights in that country we
should have suspended our military aid.

6. Do you support eliminating military aid and arms sales to

countries deemed undemocratic by the U.S. State
Department? Yes. See below

7. Do you support selling weapons or providing military

assistance to countries in conflict? If it depends on the
country, what criteria would you use to comply with the
US Arms Export Control Act? Depends on the country. U.S.
arm sales are often justified as a way to secure access to
overseas military facilities or other political support and as a way
to promote stability and democracy in a region. But all too often
these sales end up fueling conflict, arming human rights abusers
or falling into the hands of our adversaries, and serve to
empower unstable, undemocratic regimes. We need to change
our policies and stop arms exports to countries that
systematically abuse human rights. We also need to explore
other possible ways of support, such as economic aid or political
support that we can give to other nations as an alternative to
military aid.