Battling Blood Diamonds Essay examples Essay on Blood Diamonds Blood Diamonds

1. Battling Blood Diamonds Essay examples
Imagine having to leave your home, or worse, being killed, because two people you hardly know
are fighting over a gem right now. Would you like it? Events like these take place nearly every
single day in countries such as Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sierra Leone.
What is the gem that they are fighting over? Diamonds. These diamonds, known to many as
blood diamonds, conflict diamonds, and war diamonds are what fill the coffers of the warlords
and rebel forces of the countries listed above. The money that is derived from the sale of these
diamonds is linked to civil war, genocide, and terrorism. To stop the atrocious acts mentioned
before, I propose that more needs to be done to stop the flow of blood diamonds in...show more
content...
Although there are no firm estimates of how many diamonds are in circulation, to put these
numbers into perspective, one out of 25 diamonds to three out of 20 diamonds will trace back to an
illegal source. However many of the diamonds that are mined today are claimed to be conflict free.
De Beers, the largest producer of diamonds in the world, states on its website that "more than 99%
(99.8%) of the world's diamonds are certified conflict free" (FAQs). This statement from the De
Beers Company shows that there is progress being made however there is still a gap in the industry
for which conflict diamonds may sneak through. Although miniscule amounts of blood diamonds
are being traded today, they still pose a threat to the world if any rogue nation decides to begin
buying blood diamonds thus filling the coffers of the warlords and perpetuating the violence that
already plagues countries like Sierra Leone. However, not everything is negative when it comes to
blood diamonds; there is still some benefit that has surfaced in the diamond mining regions of Sierra
Leone. In 2008 ABC World News released a video about the environmental regeneration programs
that are being carried out in Sierra Leone. At the time Daniel Gbondo, a Sierra Leonean featured in
the ABC World News video, was the head field organizer for the Foundation for Environmental
Security and Safety (FESS). In the video Gbondo recounts his first experience with environmental
destruction was when one of
Get more content on HelpWriting.net

2. Essay on Blood Diamonds
Blood Diamonds
Until 1974, Angola had been a colony under Portuguese jurisdiction since 1576. "The combined
forces of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), the National Front for the
Liberation of Angola (FNLA), and the National Union for the Total Independence succeeded in their
struggle in removing the Portuguese colonial government in April, 1974"[1]. A bloody transitional
period ensued throughout the next year, where a struggle for control of Angola's government
erupted between these three groups. The FNLA quickly disappeared from the scene, and the main
battle for power evolved between the MPLA under Jose dos Santos and UNITA under Dr.Jonas
Savimbi.
The struggle for control over the Angolan government...show more content...
UNITA uses the profits from selling the rough diamonds to purchase arms and ammunition to
conquer the MPLA and gain complete control over Angola. UNITA's gory conquest for diamonds
has coined the term "blood diamonds" and "conflict diamonds," referring to the diamonds that it has
purchased to finance the war.
Not only does this issue involve the politics of the diamond trade and the involvement of outside
parties, but it is also a devastatingly serious human rights violation to the civilians of Angola.
"There is an average of 52 land mine incidents per month and approximately 1 out of every 356
Angolans is an amputee as a result of these bloody conquests"[4]. It was determined in a United
Nations Security Council meeting that "there are clear and major weaknesses in systems for
controlling diamond trading, which no single country can address effectively because of the many
alternative routes available to illicit diamond traders"[5]. Therefore, in order to combat the civil
fighting between UNITA and the MPLA, we must educate ourselves about UNITA's diamond trade,
prohibit the sale of blood diamonds, and achieve a commitment from diamond dealers that their
diamonds originate from conflict–free mines.
It is difficult to confidently report on UNITA's method for taking over diamond mines, but several
investigations have given us some insight. UNITA launched
Get more content on HelpWriting.net

3. Blood Diamonds
I have chosen to focus on and analyze one pattern of the Diamond Trade at a global scale. The
pattern illustrates that the Diamond Trade exists on a global scale. I have used examples and
specific evidence from different regions and nations across different hemispheres to highlight this
Global pattern. 

There are five different processes of the Diamond Industry. Exploration,
mining, selling rough diamonds, cutting and polishing and selling on world markets. Each process
happens in different location from the previous process. Producing a diamond with these different
processes and locations causes one big spacial pattern. 

Exploration is a very early process
of the Diamond Trade. Exploration is testing certain areas to determine the...show more content...
India. 
The next process is selling the polished and cut diamond. Although Antwerp is less
dominant than it used to be because of the upcoming centers like Dubai and Mumbai; it is still the
leading diamond centre. The Antwerp diamond sector has an annual turnover of 39 billion U.S.
dollars. 30,000 people are directly or indirectly employed by Antwerp. Complementary trade centers
to Antwerp include; Israel supplying North America, Dubai supplying the Middle East and New
York supplying US. In
Get more content on HelpWriting.net