Blood Diamond

The attributes that can be placed in the ethical basket are:

Communitarianism While federalism is the type of govt that should be

promoted as it delegates more power to people who understand the local
situations better and are thus better equipped to deal with it. But this in
some cases can lead to violent outcomes if the lust for power overrides
the desire to do good for the community, as in the case of RUF portrayed
in the film. On the flip side this can also lead to the development of
communities like Kamajors who were not only protecting themselves but
also playing a major part in rehabilitating the child soldiers.
Negative Capitalism How companies like Van De Kaap in order to swell in
profits was using unethical practices to boost the demand and keep the
prices high of diamonds in the international market at the cost of innocent
lives in Africa. They intentionally monopolized the diamond industry which
also demonstrates the importance of government intervention in private
corporations to control mismanagement and mitigate adverse implications
on the larger sect.
Consumerism - The film portrays how the demand for diamonds indirectly
leads to a bloody war for diamonds. Ordinary citizens have the
responsibility of making sure that the products they use do not come at
the expense of someone elses life or livelihood. For example, PETA played
a vital role in sensitizing citizens about the repercussions of using
leather/fur products. In most cases, increasing consumer demand leads to
a growth in production which actually improves the living standards of
suppliers but in this case, it devastated their lives.
Information Availability The G8 conference took place to discuss the
issue regarding the blood diamond trade in the presence of Van De Kaap.
But as the film states that they were the antagonist in this entire fiasco,
can we question if the entire show was just a farce to fool the international
community. The importance of non-governmental organisations in
disseminating and sensitizing people on such issues is also exemplified by
the movie. Local people may not have access to such information due to
lack of resources and thus the existence of such groups become pivotal.
Power Conflict The movie portrays how the various groups like RUF, the
government and the Peace Corps were interested in their personal gains
rather than in improving the lives of the local population. The government
wanted to stay in power until they have stolen enough to go into exile
somewhere else; the RUF did not want to rule or else they would have to
govern that mess; and the peace corps stayed long enough only to realize
they are not helping anyone.

Child Exploitation The film provides an insight on how children are

brainwashed and made to do terrible things, many time under the
influence of drugs. This is not only detrimental to their physical health but
also leaves long lasting impact on their mental ability and consciousness
as was shown in the case of Dia Vandy.
Corruption and Bribery The diamond trade happened because of the
various lacunas in the bureaucracy that allowed smuggling of stones into
Monrovia. These stones were then recognised as locally mined legal
minerals in Liberia. Even though places like Antwerp and India were not
directly involved in the malpractice, they could have done better to
determine the source of these diamonds.

Harsh Garg 267

Monika Rathore Priyanka Bhageria - 284
Purvi Jaiswal - 285
Rahul Debasish Mazumdar - 286
Shantanu Sharma - 293