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