"Expert Views," 17 Nov 2016

…The ‘Expert Views’ will offer you short, original and fact-based opinion articles…In this edition you can read about three important questions raised by our researchers on investments in cluster munitions, in response to the news that the American weapons producer Textron will stop producing cluster munitions…

Textron’s decision follows the US government’s blocking of a transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia in May 2016…In addition…Textron…faced pressure from the financial sector. An increasing number of investors installed responsible investment policies excluding cluster munitions producers…Three questions still linger…First, does Textron still have a stockpile of cluster munitions?…As the US is not a state party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, it is not legally obliged to destroy the stockpile. Second, what will this mean for investments in Textron?…Third…[a]s the cancellation of the cluster munitions production line is not based on the fundamental beliefs of Textron, the recent political changes in the US might be an incentive for Textron to reconsider the decision…