Conflict Diamonds

The diamond industry impacts the people of West Africa by creating a whirlwind of corruption on a political level. In sierra Leone diamonds were a valuable part of the land and they were once legitimately sold up until Sierra Leone became independent in 1961. The following years of their independence corruption flooded the land. According to an online research paper it says “with that independence came corrupt leaders, manipulation of the people , rebel groups, rivalries and civil disputes”. The correlation implies that the diamond industry has created an environment that leaves people at risk of violence, and unfair treatment by their government. The longer the diamond industry is in effect, the longer West African people will suffer from the world market demanding diamonds. Because of globalization it doesn’t look

Therefore, if this CST was present in Sierra Leone then the Blood Diamond trading could’ve been prevented or minimized.

The controversial artist Kanye West has always attempted to make known what he thinks, no matter if he has to be disrespectful or graphic in his illustrations of said topic. So it wasn't a real surprise when he chose to focus his energy into reveling to the American public horrors happening that had a direct connection with the beloved diamond stone. West's 2005 music video “Diamonds from Sierra Leone” shows the corrupted underground diamond trade in the African country, Sierra Leone. From this groundbreaking video, West showed the devastated lives those who worked on the mining rivers live. However upon further investigation into the issue of diamond workers in Sierra Leone there emerged the true source of the situation, a violent

Considering the U.N.’s response to the war in Sierra Leone, it has a long way to go in its responsibility to ensure “legitimate governance under international law.” But U.N. efforts alone won’t stop the senseless killing in Sierra Leone over illicit diamonds. Kayne West’s song and video about “blood diamonds” makes us take an honest look at ourselves and ask: Is my fascination with diamonds contributing to the violence in Sierra

Blood Minerals is an article surrounding the bloodshed in the democratic republic of Congo over the 3TG metals used in the production of smartphones. The conflict surrounding the mining of the metals has resulted in deaths as well, many civilians having to flee the country. The vast wealth of natural metals such as tungsten, tin, tantalum and gold; has resulted in the abuse of basic human rights and the taxing of the individuals that mine them by militants. The companies that are under scrutiny are under the belief that having to declare the use of conflict minerals is a breach of their freedom of speech. Companies are often saying that they cannot determine whether they have received metals from conflict

Each individual is either directly or indirectly involved in the production of conflict minerals. For those directly involved in the production of conflict minerals, this includes enslaved children and the author of A Long Way Gone. As previously stated in the Child Soldiers PowerPoint, the conflict heightened in Sierra Leone on the account of these minerals (Dolhinow). The author of A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah, survived the conflict and experienced the uneasiness of a soldier. Additionally, Baindu described her experience stating that the rebels “forced” the children “to work in diamond pits (George, 2009).” These narratives directly relate to the issue of conflict minerals and child soldiers. Citizens of several countries, including the

By definition, strife precious stones are jewels that begin from mines that are under the control of revolutionary gatherings that are battling against their nation's legislature. Sierra Leone, a little nation on the west bank of Africa, (in this paragraph you need to elaborate a little bit more) has throughout the previous ten years been under the fear of an ever display common war. This war is being battled between a radical gathering known as the Revolutionary United Front and Sierra Leone's available government. The RUF took control of some of Sierra Leones wealthiest diamond mines in the mid-nineties centuries. They now utilize the benefits they make from these precious stones to purchase weapons for their armed force, made up for the

Have they ever posed the question; where is all of this coming from? It begins in the Republic of Congo, where the mineral coltan is quarried. Coltan, used commonly in smart phones and computers, is in high demand, demand so high, it can lead to the death of hundreds of citizens that are being forced to mine it. As the CBC news article “Coltan; A New Blood Mineral” apprises its reader, numerous more community’s lives will be permanently altered by the mining of coltan. “Potential mines are also being explored in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Greenland, Mozambique, the United States, Finland, Afghanistan, Venezuela and Colombia.” (CBC) it is claimed. This can only mean countless more residents may be forced out of their homes, or to work in atrocious, inhumane conditions mining for the North American obsession. Though Sylvie, from Blue Gold, is a fictional character, the conflicts that she faces on an unvarying basis are a reality for innumerable African people at any given moment. However, with the nickname ‘blood mineral’, it is insinuated that coltan is the culprit, though this is not the case. As Sylvie bluntly puts it, “‘Coltan is just a rock. [...] It’s the fighters who hurt people” (Stewart 163), something the people in the Congo may forget. It is the simple truth that coltan mining is inevitable. The

This essay will have info based off the story the article Blood Diamonds written by Greg Campbell. I will be giving a brief summary of

Human blood is shed on almost every diamond mined in Africa, bought from Africa, or traded out of Africa. In the beginning of Aryn Baker’s article “Dirty Diamonds” in TIME magazine, Baker presents a man conflicted with his decision to buy an engagement ring, because he does not want “. . . a symbol of our union to also be associated with chaos and controversy and pain.” (Baker 64). This man in the example, Max Rodriguez, undoubtedly knew of the backbreaking work that children are subjected to, to provide for their families or to raise money to receive an education. Baker argues that the diamond industry in Africa hinders the development of children, nations, and that this problem may be too large to control as she appeals to logic, evoking

The way the youngsters were handled by police was another reason to turn to gang participation. Members of the Diamonds were steadily tormented by the police because they appear like gang members or they are friends with gang members. All Latino people were targets of a belittling process of police action. In one instance, Freddie, he was pulled over by police when police started harassing and messing with him. The police thought he was a gangbanger even though Freddie told him he was not (Padilla 1996, 85). Police would even take their money. Tony recalls, “I don’t know how much money I’ve lost to police officers.” In other words, because these members were Puerto Rican, police assumes they are gangbangers (Padilla 1996, 87). Members of the Diamonds turned to gang participation because they believe if police is going to assume they are gangbangers, then they might as well be one. In turn, members of the Diamonds want to protect themselves by turning due to police officers treating them the way they do; they are out to get these youngsters. By turning, this is their defense against police brutality (Padilla 1996, 89).

In one online article, the author quotes a man that was a part of the mining in Congo, and shows how the trade of conflict minerals across the world is funding a war. He says that more

Slavery was abolished in the year of 1865; however, the maltreatment of African-Americans has not. Similarly, the triangular slave trade mentioned in Hartman’s book is no longer existent, but inhumane conditions still exist amongst the African community. These conditions are recurring motifs that hip-hop artist try to bring to mainstream audiences. The blood diamond industry began in the 1990s with the rebel group, Revolutionary United Front (RUF), led by Foday Sankoh, who had claimed they would improve the destitute conditions of the Africans and take better care of them than the African government. However, they later went against these promises and “seized control of diamond-producing regions in the east and south of Sierra Leone” (Fofana,

Much of what I discovered in watching this film has helped me see things in a different light. Not just diamonds but every other product imaginable could’ve commenced the same chaos the diamonds caused in Africa. This commotion may not only happen in Africa but also in any other country. Innocent people like Solomon, who just wanted to live their life in a quiet environment, are dragged into the turmoil constructed by the greedy individuals who only see money and power as the most important things in this world. The fact that the rebels cut off the citizens’ arms so that they won’t be able to vote was very disturbing. They recognize the people’s power that’s why they had to prevent the citizens to vote, so that they could stay in power. The citizens have

This case represents a prime example in terms of market demand and competition. Nike is one of the world’s largest athletic suppliers for a various number sports and other activities. Nike is well established globally and has over a million employees across 42 nations. New Balance has also been in the market a long time since 1906, but not quite as large as what Nike has to offer. “New Balance ranks as the fourth largest athletic footwear and apparel company in the world with $2.4 billion in annual sales” (Assche, 2014). Both companies have been very successful with their products and have an excellent reputation and image. Many consumers are brand loyal to both companies and it will be extremely interesting on what side the TTP takes when it comes down to focusing in on the importance of tariffs.