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Sierra Leone: Greed, Diamonds, And The Global Marketplace. “The right of
peoples and nations to permanent sovereignty over their ...
Submitted by finchmail on June 2, 2008
Category: History Other
Words: 2180 | Pages: 9
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“The right of peoples and nations to permanent sovereignty over their natural wealth and resources must be exercised in the interest of their national development and of the well-being of the people of the State concerned” –UN resolution 1803(XVII), passed 14 December, 1962.
Sierra Leone has one of the worst standards of living in the entire world. It has occupied the bottom of the United Nations Human Development Index for over a decade, coming in last, or close to last every year since 1990. The tragic story of the failed African state is now, regrettably, so common that people in so-called developed nations have built up a tolerance to the shock that such abject poverty should have on their sensibilities. However, what is surprising about Sierra Leone in particular, is not that it is poor, but that its poverty is the result of its possession of some of the most productive diamond fields in the entire world. These natural resources which are, according to the UN, the sovereign property of Sierra Leone, to be used for the benefit of its citizens, have proven to be a curse rather than a blessing for the people of this country. The reason for this bizarre twist of fate lies far beyond the borders of this small East African Republic. In fact, responsibility for the situation there falls uncomfortably close to home. Understanding the plight of Sierra Leone is impossible without first recognizing the global conditions that gave rise to the civil wars that have crippled it.
The international diamond market is one of the most lucrative in all the world, accounting for roughly 50 billion dollars annually (Global Witness 2000). Rough diamonds are mined in places like South Africa, Botswana and Angola, and are then sold to middlemen who transport the rough to the major cutting houses in Antwerp, Belgium and Surat, India. Once cut, polished, and set in jewelry, diamonds value increases exponentially. Once finished, the...
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