Diamonds and Terrorism

[rbjd]

The Rapaport website (http://www.diamonds.net/) has a link under its NEWS category to the recently released Global Witness report entitled "For a Few Dollars More - How al Qaeda moved into the diamond trade". Rapaport's link contains only the first 50 pages of the 100 page report, the complete version of which is obtainable at the NGO's website: http://www.globalwitness.org/

Fascinating reading establishing links between terrorist funding and the diamond trade.

Did your diamond help pay for terrorism?

 

[oldminer]

There may well be proven links to diamonds and terrorism. If one looks at financial instruments where cash may be transported or transmitted other than physically or by wired funds, one must always look at commodities with very high value. Diamonds are just one of several examples of high value in small weight units that are untitled and transportable.

The diamond business is doing some good things to minimize this problem, but terrorism is by nature very crafty. What one does to counteract it opens new, inventive pathways for other wrongdoing. It is not diamonds that corrupt, but the very evil nature of a relatively small minority of people that make the world a seemingly dangerous place.

I think the world is actually safer for many of us than it was 50, 100 or even 1000+ years ago. Think about world history. Living by the Golden Rule would be good advice. In this time of Easter and Passover be reminded of living in peace with all the people of the planet. Study the past and learn from it. Don't repeat the sad history lessons of the past which allowed dictators to become powerful tyrants who threatened the peace of the world.

I don't condone terrorism or those responsible for hiding assets in diamonds, but I don't seek to prevent peace loving people from being able to have a pretty diamond to wear, either. Keeping our freedom of choice is just one of the reasons those in our armed services fight, bleed and die for. Sure, they don't go off to war for diamonds, but they are keeping us on the top of the heap. Enjoy the benefits of freedom that has been so hard won by so many heroes of battle.

 

[pqcollectibles]

Very eloquent Dave!

While true the diamond "industry" is doing it's part to stop trade in conflict diamonds and diamonds from questionable, seedy sources, evil people find ways to seep through the cracks. This is true of every type of business. Just like Dave said, diamonds are a portable funds source.

While researching to purchase, I stumbled on a diamond industry Trade website (wish I'd bookmarked it) that told of the Iraqi leadership making large diamond buys in the weeks prior to the war. Both Sadam and son Ude (?spelling) sent a personal jeweler/buyer out on at least 2 seperate trips to buy caches of diamonds. Transportable Flight Funds. The story quoted the unnamed "jeweler" who sold the diamonds as the source of the information.

IMO, this does not point the finger at the Diamond Industry, but rather at ONE individual in the trade. There might be a remote possiblity that one day those diamonds find their way into the market for individuals like the folks on the PS forum to purchase. We then become unwitting players in someone else's dasterdly plot. The diamond broker most certainly knew who he/she was selling to, to gleefully leak the info post facto whilst smiling all the way to the bank with tainted money. May that diamond broker burn in H*** for their deeds!