{
  "id": "RL30751",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL30751",
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  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
  "versions": [
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      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 100245,
      "date": "2003-07-16",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-08T14:41:33.103544",
      "title": "Diamonds and Conflict: Background, Policy, and Legislation",
      "summary": "In several diamond-rich countries affected by armed conflict, notably in Africa, belligerents have\nfunded their military activities by mining and selling diamonds, and competition over the use and\ncontrol of diamond wealth has contributed significantly to the depth and extended duration of these\nconflicts. Diamonds used in this fashion, labeled \"conflict diamonds,\" were estimated to have\ncomprised an estimated 3.7 % to 15% of the value of the global diamond trade in 2000. The present\nvolume of such trade appears is difficult to estimate. Several diamond-related conflicts have ended,\nbut others have burgeoned. Policy makers' attention has also increasingly focused on the possible\nrole that diamonds may play in the financing of terrorist operations. \n  In response to public pressure to halt trade in conflict diamonds, and due to the persistence of\nseveral diamond-related conflicts, governments and multilateral organizations have pursued efforts\nto end such trade. Several international policy forums, national legislatures, and diverse private\nparties have proposed various reforms and legislation to achieve such goals. Effective regulation of\nthe diamond trade is difficult. Diamonds are a highly fungible, concentrated form of wealth, and the\nglobal diamond industry is historically insular and self-regulating. The illicit diamond trade exploits\nthese factors. Proposals to end illicit trading generally center on legally identifying the origin of\ndiamonds and requiring the registration, identification, and monitoring of cross-border trade in\ndiamond, as is common for trade in other goods. Methods for achieving such ends include the\ncataloging of unique physical diamond features; the \"tagging\" of diamonds with minute markings;\nand the creation of certification-of-origin laws to document the origin of diamonds.\n  The Clinton Administration worked to create a certificates of origin-based international\ndiamond trade regime, but sought to ensure that such efforts would not negatively affect the\nlegitimate industry. It also backed marketing reforms and regulatory capacity building in\ndiamond-rich African countries, consulted with the diamond industry, pushed for U.N. sanctions to\nend the conflict diamond trade, and created an inter-agency group on conflict diamonds. The Bush\nAdministration has pursued policies that broadly mirror those of its predecessor.\n  The United States participates in the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, a global diamond\ntrade regulation framework. The Administration began implementing the Scheme in the United\nStates with voluntary interim compliance measures, prior to the passage of  H.R. 1584 \n(see below). Several congressional hearings have addressed trade in conflict diamonds. Potential\nlinks between terrorism financing and trade in diamonds have garnered increasing congressional\nattention. The 106th and 107th Congresses considered several diamond-related bills. The 108th\nCongress passed  H.J.Res. 2  in February 2003; it contained several conflict\ndiamond-related provisions. Other conflict diamond bills introduced in the 108th Congress include\n H.Con.Res. 239  (Watson);  S. 760  (Grassley),  H.R. 1415 \n(Houghton), and  H.R. 1584  (Houghton). The latter three bills shared many goals in\ncommon with  H.R. 1584 , an amended version of which was passed by both chambers\nand signed into law by President Bush, becoming  P.L. 108-19 .",
      "type": "CRS Report",
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    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc807684/",
      "id": "RL30751_2001Jan16",
      "date": "2001-01-16",
      "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26",
      "title": "Diamonds and Conflict: Policy Proposals and Background",
      "summary": null,
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
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  "topics": [
    "Economic Policy",
    "Foreign Affairs",
    "Industry and Trade",
    "Intelligence and National Security"
  ]
}