By Zhang Gaosheng

張高勝

Recently, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Finland have repeatedly signaled their potential or ongoing preparations to withdraw from the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production, and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (the Ottawa convention), sparking widespread international attention and debate.

近期，愛沙尼亞、拉脫維亞、立陶宛、波蘭、芬蘭五國向國際社會密集釋放可能或正在準(zhǔn)備退出《渥太華公約》的消息，引發(fā)了國際社會的廣泛關(guān)注和爭議。

Landmines cause numerous casualties worldwide each year, with civilians making up the majority of the victims. During the Vietnam War, US forces planted vast numbers of landmines across Vietnam, leaving many still unexploded to this day. In 1997, the international community adopted the Ottawa Convention, aiming to completely prohibit the production, stockpiling, use, and transfer of anti-personnel mines while promoting the destruction of existing stockpiles. So far, more than 160 countries and regions have signed the convention.

全球每年因地雷傷亡的人數(shù)眾多，其中絕大部分是平民。越戰(zhàn)期間，美軍在越南境內(nèi)埋設(shè)大量地雷，導(dǎo)致其境內(nèi)至今仍有很多地雷尚未清除。國際社會在1997年通過了《渥太華公約》，旨在全面禁止殺傷人員地雷的生產(chǎn)、儲存、使用和轉(zhuǎn)讓，并推動銷毀現(xiàn)存的地雷庫存。截至目前，已有160多個國家和地區(qū)簽署該公約。

The above-mentioned five countries are among the signatories of the Ottawa Convention. Their consideration of withdrawing from the convention is primarily driven by security concerns. Since the escalation of the Ukraine crisis in 2022, Europe's geopolitical landscape has remained in turmoil. The five countries, bordering Russia, face heightened border pressure, making military defense a central policy focus. Meanwhile, the Trump administration's transactional approach to NATO has deepened security anxieties among European allies. Against this background, the five countries began to reevaluate their own defense strategies.

波蘭、芬蘭等五國是《渥太華公約》締約國。五國考慮退約主要是出于安全關(guān)切。自2022年烏克蘭危機(jī)升級以來，歐洲地緣政治格局持續(xù)震蕩。五國毗鄰俄羅斯，邊境線壓力驟增，軍事防御需求成為其政策核心。而特朗普政府對北約的“交易式”態(tài)度，更令歐洲盟友陷入安全焦慮。在此背景下，五國開始重新評估自身防御策略。

In the meantime, the extensive use of landmines by both Russia and Ukraine to slow enemy advances has highlighted the effectiveness of traditional defense methods. By withdrawing from the convention, the five countries not only gain more tactical flexibility in border defense but also send a strong signal to the international community about their commitment to strengthening autonomous security.

同時，俄烏雙方在沖突中大規(guī)模使用地雷遲滯對方行動，凸顯了傳統(tǒng)防御手段的有效性。退出公約，五國不僅能在邊境防御上有更多戰(zhàn)術(shù)選擇，更可向國際社會釋放“強(qiáng)化自主安全”的強(qiáng)硬信號。

However, if these countries withdraw from the convention, it could lead to a dual negative impact.

但是，這些國家若退出《渥太華公約》，可能造成以下雙重消極影響。

On one hand, it could severely disrupt regional security. The withdrawal of these five countries may trigger a chain reaction, prompting neighboring and even other countries to take similar steps. Russia might respond with corresponding military measures to safeguard its own security, further escalating tensions in Europe. This would not only drain significant resources but also heighten the risk of military conflicts and make the regional security environment even more unstable.

一方面，嚴(yán)重沖擊地區(qū)安全秩序。五國退約可能引發(fā)周邊乃至世界其他國家采取類似行動的連鎖反應(yīng)。俄羅斯可能會采取相應(yīng)的軍事措施來維護(hù)自身安全，進(jìn)一步加劇歐洲地區(qū)緊張局勢。這不僅會消耗大量的資源，還會增加軍事沖突的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，使歐洲地區(qū)安全環(huán)境變得更加不穩(wěn)定。

On the other hand, it would harm the international humanitarian cause and have a negative impact on international relations. The convention is a significant achievement of international cooperation in the fields of humanitarianism and arms control. The withdrawal of these five countries would have a detrimental spillover effect on international relations, undermine cooperation and mutual trust in arms control and humanitarian efforts, and poison the atmosphere of international cooperation.

另一方面，損害國際人道主義事業(yè)，對國際關(guān)系產(chǎn)生負(fù)面影響。《渥太華公約》是國際社會在人道主義和軍控領(lǐng)域合作的重要成果。五國退約行為將對國際關(guān)系產(chǎn)生負(fù)面溢出效應(yīng)，破壞國際社會在軍控和人道主義領(lǐng)域的合作與互信，毒害國際合作氛圍。

In conclusion, the withdrawal of these five countries reflects the geopolitical backlash against the international community's humanitarian efforts to ban anti-personnel landmines. The clash between national security claims and humanitarian concerns highlights the deep-rooted contradictions in contemporary international security governance. The international community should actively promote peaceful resolutions to regional conflicts, use diplomatic mediation and negotiations to ease geopolitical tensions and reduce the use and spread of landmines in conflicts.

總而言之，五國退約反映出國際社會禁止地雷的人道努力遭遇地緣政治逆流。這種國家安全訴求與人道主義的碰撞，折射出當(dāng)代國際安全治理體系的深層矛盾。國際社會應(yīng)積極推動地區(qū)沖突的和平解決，通過外交斡旋、調(diào)解等方式，緩解地緣政治緊張局勢，減少因沖突導(dǎo)致的地雷使用和擴(kuò)散。

(The author is an assistant research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies.)

（作者系中國國際問題研究院世界和平與安全研究所助理研究員）

Editor's Note: Originally published on thepaper.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.