Editorial Review:
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 consequenceFirst 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, including the Al Qaeda network. 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, as the world has seen, are both shockingly deadly and unquestionably global.
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Customer Reviews
Average Customer Rating: 
I Can Never Buy A Diamond Again  2008-10-27
This book is a must for anyone interested in West Africa and how illegal diamond trading has shaped its history. Due to geologic conditions, Illegal diamonds (or Blood Diamonds as they are known in the vernacular) are the primary economy of this area. Diamond mining, the search for diamond sources, the selling of the stones, the conspiracy of 'legitimate' businesses to pretend that they do not know what is going on in the West African diamond business, and the resulting wars and atrocities created by this stone is the subject of this book. Blood Diamonds have resulted in gross atrocities to the people in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Thousands of people are missing arms, feet, eyes or have been killed because of the diamond trade. Industry giants such as De Beers look the other way as military, para-military, and guerilla groups seek out diamond sources and destroy all the people who get in their way. 'Legitimate' corporations artificially fix diamond prices so as to create the belief that there is a scarcity. Meanwhile, they ferret away multi-millions of dollars worth of diamonds in their vaults, releasing them slowly so as to create an artificial diamond economy. Bruno Bettelheim, in discussing the nature of evil stated that someone who worked for the Nazis by loading the trains that took the prisoners to Concentration Camps was not evil if he did not know what was going on. Once a person knew where the trains were going and what was occurring in places like Auschwitz, and they continued to work the trains, then they were evil. It is the same way with diamonds. If one does not know what occurs in Africa before a diamond gets from there to a wedding ring or a fine piece of jewely, they are naive or innocent. Once one reads this book, or finds out the truth about Blood Diamonds in another way, then purchasing a diamond can only be an act of evil. I can never buy a diamond again, nor can I look at a diamond without feeling disgust and anger about atrocities committed for the sake of greed.
Diamonds sometimes don't mean love and fidelity. 2008-09-22
Campbell does an excellent job of showing how the conflict in Liberia and Sierra Leone is not just about politics and tribes but who controls the mineral wealth of these nations. In Sierra Leone's case, the political opposition as backed by the likes of Libya was the RUF. They didn't care about the poverty of the people, but cared about controlling the diamond mines that made the RUF's leaders wealthy. This wealth bought all sorts of fancy toys such as RPGs, AK47s, helicopters, and other surplus war material. The RUF used this to terrorize the people of this small country. Diamonds were smuggled out to Liberia and Guinea to be marketed as clean diamonds. The conflict showed true barbarity. People had their hands chopped off by the RUF. The ECOMOG and Sierra Leone Army were just as bad to the civilians. It is no wonder that the citizens of this small state did not lose heart in their long struggle.
The RUF had some contacts with a variety of disreputable pariahs such as Al Quada, Libya, arms merchants, Burkina Faso, and others. This shows the greed that these parties had for Sierra Leone's mineral wealth and what that meant to the poor citizens of this nation. It shows the true nature of these pariah organizations. A good read on a little known topic.
An excellent intellectual read...if you can handle it 2008-01-20
Yes this is the book that the recent movie was based on. No I have not seen the movie. The author is a journalist, and it shows. The depth of research and detail in this book is amazing. It outlines in many layers the diamond industry, its history, and its relation to West Africa. I had no idea what to expect from the book, and was shocked to learn the horrid details and atrocities that have been occurring for decades there. Obviously, like the bumper sticker says, "if you are not appalled, you are not paying attention."
The Western world has no idea what people are suffering for this made up commodity industry. Campbell shows how elite people literally fabricate the demand for diamonds, and its price points. Everyone seems to believe that diamonds are the most precious thing you can give a loved one. Why is that? Have you ever wondered? Why is it better than any other gem or gift? The answers are very interesting, and are laid out in this book.
When you learn the origins of many diamonds, the process they go through and the conditions of the people who mine them, you may want to return it. I know I do. It made me sick. We live in quite a bubble about so many things. I am glad that someone is bringing a conscience to the public about horrible human rights situations like these. The sad thing is that it also makes you wonder why countries like our own are just ignoring it. If we can justify attacking other countries for made up reasons, why can't we take on true issues that are so well documented? It is all politics while people die.
This book is one of the best written books I have read in a long time. Campbell's writing style is intelligent, vivid, and picturesque. His depth of research and personal involvement in making this book is astonishing. I appreciate descriptions that make me feel like I am actually with the writer. Such is the case with Blood Diamonds. An excellent read if you can handle its gruesome reality and deep network of connections to follow.
Good but Not Final Word 2008-01-08
Mr. Campbell (no relation) has an engaging style and has written an informative, though skewed, account of the forces at play in the Sierra Leone tragedy. He skillfully describes how the greed for diamond sale revenue enabled this country to descend into chaos and unspeakable horror. However, he attempts to make this a Western guilt trip by emphasizing how willing market players are to look the other way, thus absolving themselves of any culpability for the bloodbath. Campbell builds on a thin reed indeed, and fails to make analogies with other resources from other strife ridden African countries, such as Angola and its oil, that would more accurately demonstrate how free markets work in an amoral, rather than immoral, environment. I don't see Campbell advocating boycotting Angolan oil because of the atrocities being committed in that conflict. Nor should he, because those transactions occur outside the frame work of a nation's internal affairs, no matter how unjust or cruel those may be. The fact is, African countries have been pursuing the path of self destruction for 5 decades now with no other incentive than for one ethnic or ideological group attempting to acquire wealth and power at the expense of the nation. Attempts to lay this at the West's feet are misguided, disingenuous and unhelpful on many levels, but especially for the average African themselves. While I recommend Campbell's readable volume for its conciseness and wit, please do not limit yourself in seeing other dimensions to this, especially the corruption of ECOWAS and its military mission as well as the ethnic jealousy involved between natives and the economically dominant Lebanese.
MISSING PAGES!!?!?!  2007-11-15
I GOT THIS BOOK AS A GIFT ONLY TO HEAR FROM THE PERSON I GAVE IT TO THAT THE BOOK WAS MISSING PAGES!?! IT WASN'T THAT THE BOOK HAD PAGES TORN OUT, JUST THAT IT WAS PUT TOGETHER WRONG, THE SAME CHAPTER WAS IN THE BOOK 3 TIMES, IT SKIPPED FROM PAGE 18 TO PAGE 30, RESULTING IN A BOOK THAT MAKES NO SENSE!!?!?! BEWARE OF BUYING!!! MAKE SURE YOU CAN EXCHANGE IT FOR A NEW ONE IF THIS HAPPENS TO YOU!!
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