| Who hasn't heard of the slogan "A | | | | almost any market. If you mine diamonds |
| diamond lasts forever"? Diamonds | | | | and sell them to other countries - of |
| have always occupied a very high status | | | | which there is definitely no shortage - |
| in the world of jewelry. Fueled by | | | | you can get a large amount of money for |
| tradition and intense marketing | | | | them. Where does the profit from these |
| campaigns, diamonds have achieved | | | | sales go? |
| incomparable status. Starry eyed young | | | | You guessed it - to finance wars and |
| men present gorgeous diamond rings to | | | | other forms of armed conflict in the |
| their girlfriends. Married couples | | | | affected areas. The manner of mining and |
| exchange diamond studded jewelry over | | | | selling blood diamonds is usually done |
| the years as symbols to their undying | | | | in secret. You can just imagine what the |
| love. Celebrities and personalities don | | | | reaction of the (average) buyer would be |
| fabulous diamond jewelry whenever they | | | | if he learned that he was financing a |
| go out in public. There is absolutely no | | | | war somewhere in Africa with his |
| doubt as to how valuable and sought | | | | transaction. Thus, people involved in |
| after diamonds are. | | | | the conflict diamond business do not |
| As with most things in life, there is | | | | really advertise what they are doing. |
| always something bad mixed with the | | | | Although these activities have been |
| good. A diamond may be a woman's best | | | | going on for quite some time, it was |
| friend but a diamond can also be the | | | | only in 2000 that the international |
| bane of some people's existence - and I | | | | community formally recognized the |
| am not talking about the man's pocket | | | | gravity of the situation. In December of |
| here. The term conflict diamonds, or | | | | that year, the United Nations General |
| blood diamonds as others call it, became | | | | Assembly recognized the role of rough |
| quite well-known to the average person | | | | diamonds in furthering the conflicts in |
| in 2002 when the James Bond movie | | | | specific areas in Africa. The General |
| "Die Another Day" was | | | | Assembly came up with a resolution |
| released. This contribution to the | | | | aiming to severe the connection between |
| legendary James Bond saga revolved | | | | the illegal sales of diamonds and wars |
| around the idea of smuggling blood | | | | in concerned areas. |
| diamonds. | | | | With this resolution in place, countries |
| So what is a conflict diamond? The UN | | | | that buy diamonds from Africa became |
| formally defines a conflict diamond as a | | | | more aware of the illicit trade. |
| "diamond that originates from areas | | | | International sanctions were then put in |
| controlled by forces or factions opposed | | | | place. In addition to these sanctions, |
| to legitimate and internationally | | | | individual countries set up their own |
| recognized governments, and are used to | | | | methods and processes to curb the |
| fund military action in opposition to | | | | practice of trading conflict diamonds. |
| those governments, or in contravention | | | | The idea is that if no one will buy, |
| of the decisions of the Security | | | | then no one will sell. People who take |
| Council." In short, a conflict | | | | advantage of conflict diamonds would |
| diamond is any diamond that is mined | | | | have no market and thus the practice |
| from an area in which there is war, or | | | | would stop. |
| armed conflict. The idea is that | | | | We all know however, that in the real |
| diamonds are very much in demand and | | | | world, things are never as simple as |
| that they fetch such a high price in | | | | they usually seem to be. |