Blood-Diamonds: The International Response

By Christine N. Armstrong

Christine Armstrong graduated this spring from Albany Law School. She did her undergraduate work at Siena College, graduating in 2013 with a major in Political Science and a minor in Classical Studies.  Christine is was an associate editor of the Albany Law Review.
During her time at Albany Law, Christine participated in the Moot Court program, winning the Karen C. McGovern Senior Prize Trial Competition. She served as a teaching assistant for Professor Chung’s Contracts class, Professor Heverly’s Torts class, and was a Sponsler Fellow for Professor Moore’s Civil Procedure class. She also served as an intern to the Hon. Judge Thomas James McAvoy in the Northern District of New York.
Christine accepted a position at Seward & Kissel, LLP, in New York City.
She prepared this paper for Prof. Bonventre’s International Law of War & Crime Seminar.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (“The DRC”) is a country located in central Africa. While perhaps one of the most mineral rich nations in the world, the DRC suffers from what is called the “paradox of poverty.” It is a phenomenon where a country has extraordinarily rich natural resources but extremely poor citizens, because corrupt government officials and rebel armies prevent the nation’s wealth, extracted from these resources, from being distributed to its people.

The DRC is a country marred by the exploitation and sale of its minerals and diamonds, which are used to fund armed conflicts and civil war within the country.  This paper will discuss the DRC, it’s “blood diamonds” and “conflict minerals,” how the profits from these sales are being used to commit crimes against humanity within the DRC, and the international response to these atrocities.

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To read the entire paper, open HERE.

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