Diamonds are a symbol of love, exchanged to hold wedding vows and a promise to be together forever. Unfortunately, the means to obtain this symbolic diamond may very well be the opposite of what they are meant to represent, oppression and violence. While at their peak, conflict diamonds represented 4% of the total diamond market, they now represent only 1%. However, 1% of a $16 billion a year industry is plenty. Therefore, why is our greed and desire for these precious stones greater than the loss of human lives and exploitation of an entire civilization? Many argue that the international community is still turning a blind eye to Africa's crisis in a laissez-faire manner. approach of creating diamond trade monitoring committees with many imperfections that have not yet been corrected. Others say our own government, whose regulations mirror those of the international community's policies, is at fault. Since the United States is the largest buyer of diamonds and should have stricter standards regarding the origin of diamonds. It is possible that the main culprit for the continued importation of conflict diamonds is ourselves. We have the power to cripple the diamond industry by refusing to purchase diamonds until we are sure a remedy has been implemented. But we don't do anything. We tend to look away, perhaps thinking that the diamond we hold in our hand may have been washed by another person's blood at some point. Doria2Africa is no stranger to illegal trade. First there was the transatlantic slave trade in the 16th and 17th centuries which, contrary to what most believe, continues today as part of a gender-based politics...... middle of paper...... l. The Electronic Intifada. June 23, 2011. Web. World Witness. “The American diamond sector”. Global Witness Publishing Inc. November 2006. Web. Goreux, Louis. “Conflict diamonds”. Africa Regional Working Paper Series No. 13. March 2001. Web.Navarro, Mireya. “Diamonds are forever.” New York Times. December 14, 2006. Web. Polgreen, Lydia. “Diamonds pass from blood to sweat and tears.” New York Times. March 25, 2007.Web.Schure, Teri. “Blood diamonds: always bloody”. Worldpress.org. May 14, 2010. WebSharife, Khadija. “The blood diamond regulatory system is broken.” Al Jazeera. July 25, 2011. Web.St. Antoninus Institute. “DE BEERS OF SOUTH AFRICA: THE MOST UNETHICAL COMPANY IN THE WORLD Eternal Word Television Network. Nd Web. Yager, Loren. “Significant challenges remain to deter the trade in conflict diamonds. » United States General Accounting Office. February 13, 2002. Web.