The following article offers a perspective or an account of the dynamics of the diamond trade. It is now over 10 years old but it seems many of the arguments apply.
https://www.counterpunch.org/2007/03/16/the-political-economy-of-diamonds/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I found this article interesting. It is the consequence of market research and not addressing the broader political meaning and use of diamonds and the politics related to it, but it does indicate there is a shift in women's increasing independence and selecting diamonds to purchase for themselves and their own reasons: "I love myself, rather than a man loves me." Much of the research was based on the purchasing habits of chinese and japanese women. China is very involved in the receipt of the diamond trade so the DeBeers marketting strategy is heavily underpinned by the immoral transit of diamonds.
http://www.rough-polished.com/en/analytics/108261.html
DeBeers still own the monopoly of the diamond trade and still their role is to maintain an unfair possession of a resource that does not belong to them. I do not beleive that if diamonds were a british resource being mined and processed on british soil, that it would allow their processing and profits to be appropriated by another country. Its just "plain wrong".
A way to have a fair future for diamonds is either to reduce their monetary value or to establish a fair trade program where the mining/gathering, processing and profits from diamonds stays with the people who live in the areas where they are found. If it were possible to depoliticize the diamond trade (??!!) then the economy of these brutalised countries may increase for the benefit of those that live there. A bit simplistic but the current situation is outrageously corrupt.
No comments:
Post a Comment