Blood on the Stone
Greed, Corruption and War in the Global Diamond Trade
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Anthem Press
Published:15th Aug '10
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
A gripping account of the cartel, warlords, gun runners and shadowy traders who populated Africa's bloody diamond wars, and the faltering, decade-long effort to clean up an entire industry.
'Blood on the Stone' is a gripping account of the cartel, warlords, gun runners and shadowy traders who populated Africa’s bloody diamond wars, and the faltering, decade-long effort to clean up an entire industry.
Africa’s diamond wars took four million lives. ‘Blood on the Stone’ tells the story of how diamonds came to be so dangerous, describing the great diamond cartel and a dangerous pipeline leading from war-torn Africa to the glittering showrooms of Paris, London and New York. It describes the campaign that forced an industry and more than 50 governments to create a global control mechanism, and it provides a sobering prognosis on its future.
‘The book’s strengths are threefold. The first is that it explains the murky trade in rough diamonds in crisp, compelling prose. […] The second strength is that Smillie’s writing on Sierra Leone is excellent. It is one of the best summaries of that country’s civil war and how diamonds bankrolled the RUF. […] Third is that he offers memorable observations on the difficulties in launching the Kimberley Process.’ –‘No One’s Best Friend: A Canadian expert examines the devastation diamonds have wrought in four African countries’, book review by Blake Lambert in the ‘Literary Review of Canada’
'Timely and of interest.' —‘International Affairs’ January 2011 Book Reviews
'Smillie’s skill is the ability to write a scholarly record of the circumstances that created conflict diamonds while also providing an entertaining, fast-paced read full of intrigue. ‘Blood on the Stone’ will be welcomed by anyone interested in Africa, corporate social responsibility, and geopolitics.' —‘Gems & Gemology’ Winter 2010 Book Reviews
'Smillie is one of the most well-known experts and advocates on blood diamonds. […] ‘Blood on the Stone’ marks another contribution to a growing body of literature on natural resource extraction purchases.' —Lee Berthiaume, ‘Embassy’ magazine book review
ISBN: 9780857289797
Dimensions: 216mm x 140mm x 26mm
Weight: 680g
252 pages