Diamond's are a Terrorist's Best Friend: Breaking Down the Relationship Between Commodities and Terrorist Financing
Location
State Farm Hall 108
Start Date
28-2-2015 10:30 AM
End Date
28-2-2015 11:30 AM
Description
"A diamond is a girl's best friend." Or is it? The brilliant stone has been portrayed in movies and advertisements as the ultimate object of fantasy, and the message seems to have worked. In 2014, global diamond sales reached more than $80 billion. But this symbol of love has been tainted by bloody conflicts in Africa- themselves fueled by the global diamond trade - and more recently by terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah and al Qaeda. In 2002, the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) was established to eliminate the sale of diamonds that exploit conflict; yet its effectiveness has been questioned. Founding Director Charmian Gooch stated: "The fact is that most consumers still cannot be sure where their diamonds come from, or whether they are financing armed violence or abusive regimes". Yet despite the controversy, diamond sales have continued to rise. Consequently, the purchase of diamonds has become a free expression of ostentatious consumerism, which has resulted in dissolution of human lights. The underlying cause of diamond-related conflict is not corrupt governance or poor economic management in producing countries. Rather, it is the demand from consuming nations. If diamond-related conflict is to end, then the corporate strategies that create that demand, namely the media's portrayal of diamonds as the epitome of romance and luxury, must stop.
Diamond's are a Terrorist's Best Friend: Breaking Down the Relationship Between Commodities and Terrorist Financing
State Farm Hall 108
"A diamond is a girl's best friend." Or is it? The brilliant stone has been portrayed in movies and advertisements as the ultimate object of fantasy, and the message seems to have worked. In 2014, global diamond sales reached more than $80 billion. But this symbol of love has been tainted by bloody conflicts in Africa- themselves fueled by the global diamond trade - and more recently by terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah and al Qaeda. In 2002, the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) was established to eliminate the sale of diamonds that exploit conflict; yet its effectiveness has been questioned. Founding Director Charmian Gooch stated: "The fact is that most consumers still cannot be sure where their diamonds come from, or whether they are financing armed violence or abusive regimes". Yet despite the controversy, diamond sales have continued to rise. Consequently, the purchase of diamonds has become a free expression of ostentatious consumerism, which has resulted in dissolution of human lights. The underlying cause of diamond-related conflict is not corrupt governance or poor economic management in producing countries. Rather, it is the demand from consuming nations. If diamond-related conflict is to end, then the corporate strategies that create that demand, namely the media's portrayal of diamonds as the epitome of romance and luxury, must stop.