Blood Diamonds : Tracing the Deadly Path of the World's Most Precious Stones

First discovered in 1930, the diamonds of Sierra Leone have funded one of the most savage rebel campaigns in modern history. These "blood diamonds" are smuggled out of West Africa and sold to legitimate diamond merchants in London, Antwerp, and New York, often with the complicity of the international diamond industry. Eventually, these very diamonds find their way into the rings and necklaces of brides and spouses the world over. __Blood Diamonds__ is the gripping tale of how the diamond smuggling works, how the rebel war has effectively destroyed Sierra Leone and its people, and how the policies of the diamond industry - institutionalized in the 1880s by the De Beers cartel - have allowed it to happen. Award-winning journalist Greg Campbell traces the deadly trail of these diamonds, many of which are brought to the world market by fanatical enemies. These repercussions of diamond smuggling are felt far beyond the borders of the poor and war-ridden country of Sierra Leone, and the consequences of overlooking this African tragedy are both shockingly deadly and unquestionably global. Updated with a new epilogue.

journalist Greg Campbell Leads The Reader Down The International Diamond Trail Of Brutality, Horror, And Profit - Providing An On-the-ground And In-the-mines Story Of Global Consequence

foreign Affairs

campbell, A Freelance Writer, Sets Out To Rub The Noses Of Diamond-lovers In The Gore Of Sierra Leone's Brutal Civil War (1991-2001), In Which A Rebel Army Of Thieves Seized The Country's Diamond Fields And Specialized In Amputating The Limbs Of Villagers To Force Their Cooperation In The Plunder. Arriving On The Scene In 2001, Campbell Interviewed Survivors And Observed Efforts, Often Bumbling, By The Un's Huge Peacekeeping Mission To Stabilize The Country. Is There A Way To Bar The Sale Of Tainted Gems On The World Market? Ultimately No, The Author Says, Given The Ease Of Smuggling Something With Such Low Weight And High Value. But This Fact Has Not Stopped The De Beers Corporation, Which Still Controls About 65 Percent Of World Sales Of Uncut Diamonds, From Trying Mightily To Convince Consumers That Its Diamonds Are Clean. At This Stage, However, Few Consumers Know About The Villagers In Sierra Leone, Or That Al Qaeda Laundered Money By Buying Blood Diamonds, Or That Liberian President Charles Taylor, The Slobodan Milosevic Of Africa, Has Remained In Power Largely Through Illicit Diamond Deals With The Sierra Leone Rebels.

An Expose Of International Diamond Smuggling Operations Considers The Rebel Campaigns Linked To The Sierra Leone Diamond Mines And How The Area And Its People Have Been Destroyed By The Industry's Policies. 1. From Pits Of Despair To Altars Of Love : Kenema, Sierra Leone -- 2. Diamond Junction : A Smuggler's Paradise : Freetown, Sierra Leone -- 3. The Gun Runners : From Tongo To Tiffany's : Monrovia, Liberia -- 4. Death By Diamonds : Operation No Living Thing : Freetown, Sierra Leone -- 5. The Syndicate : A Diamond Is Forever : London -- 6. Waging Peace : Taking The Conflict Out Of Conflict Diamonds : Makeni, Sierra Leone -- 7. The Way Station : Next Stop, Liberia : Kailahun, Sierra Leone -- 8. The Base : Osama's War Chest : West Africa, Afghanistan, New York -- 9. The Rough Road Ahead : Mining For Peace : Freetown, Sierra Leone. Greg Campbell. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. First discovered in 1930, the diamonds of Sierra Leone have funded one of the most savage rebel campaigns in modern history. These "blood diamonds" are smuggled out of West Africa and sold to legitimate diamond merchants in London, Antwerp, and New York. This book is the gripping tale of how the diamond smuggling works, how the rebel war has effectively destroyed Sierra Leone and its people, and how the policies of the diamond industry--institutionalized in the 1880s by the De Beers cartel--have allowed it to happen. The author traces the deadly trail of these diamonds, many of which are brought to the world market by fanatical enemies. The repercussions of diamond smuggling are felt far beyond the borders of the poor and war-ridden country of Sierra Leone, and the consequences of overlooking this African tragedy are both deadly and unquestionably global CROUCHED BY THE MINE'S EDGE, I tried to ignore the grilling persistence of the equatorial sun overhead and concentrate on the dirt under my feet.