7 - Resource conflict
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
Summary
Minimum number of countries where there have been food riots during the past two years: 30
– Harper's Index, June 2009Percentage change since 2007 in the number of Texas cattle thefts: +300
– Harper's Index, August 2009Introduction
A diamond is forever. De Beers has used this advertising slogan since 1948, borrowing from Anita Loos's book, first published in 1925, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. There, she wrote “So I really think that American gentlemen are the best after all, because kissing your hand may make you feel very very good but a diamond and safire [sic] bracelet lasts forever.” (Loos 1992, p. 80). The De Beers marketing campaign is largely responsible for the expectation in Western countries that a bride-to-be will be offered a diamond engagement ring. The symbolism is fitting. Diamonds are a particularly hard gem (which also makes them ideal for use in industrial machinery and drill bits) making them an appropriate symbol for a long lasting relationship. Diamonds are also very expensive. Their price tag is due in large part to the fact that De Beers has at times controlled as much as 80% of the world diamond market through its influence over diamond mines, contracts with suppliers, and the available supply of diamonds. The release of the Hollywood blockbuster, Blood Diamond, in 2006 exposed the movie-going public to the violence of the diamond trade. Blood diamonds, or conflict diamonds, originate in areas controlled by rebel groups that are acting in opposition to a country's internationally recognized government.
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- Environmental PoliticsScale and Power, pp. 172 - 200Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010