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	CIAO Focus, January 2003: Landmines and Their Effects
	According to the most recent U.S. State Department assessments, the total number of landmines in the ground has dropped to 45 to 50 million in 60 countries, down from their initial estimate of 80 to 110 million landmines worldwide in 1999. But the actual number is less important than their impact: each year, 24,000 people are killed or injured by landmines and just a few landmines make land unusable. According to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), the United States has an enormous stockpile of landmines in Korea, including come 1.2 million M16 and M14 dumb mines. Afghanistan is probably the most mined country in the world, with estimates of up to 640,000 mines laid since 1979. And while newer so-called smart mines are readily available, most combatants prefer the use of dumb mines because of their low cost and ease of use. This month CIAO focuses on landmines and their effects. From CIAO's database: The Landmine Ban: A Case Study in Humanitarian Advocacy Diffusion of Landmines in Afghanistan Virtual Activism: Survivors and the Mine Ban Treaty Constraining Conventional Proliferation: A Role For Canada U.S. Arms Control Policy in a Time Warp Outside Links*: New Map from the U.S. State Department http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2002/9391.htm The International Campaign to Ban Landmines http://www.icbl.org/ The Federation of American Scientists http://www.fas.org/asmp/campaigns/landmines/lmhistory.htm A History of Landmines http://members.iinet.net.au/~pictim/mines/history/history.html How Landmines Work http://www.howstuffworks.com/landmine.htm Mine Ban Treaty Map: State Parties, Signatories, and Non-Signatories http://www.icbl.org/resources/photo/Illustrations/Maps/Landmine_Monitor_2002/Mine_Ban_Treaty_-Large.gif * Outside links are not maintained. For broken outside links, CIAO recommends the Way Back Machine [http://www.archive.org/].