Why does Liberia supports blood diamonds?
Okay, first of all you need to get current. Liberia’s current president, Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson, has successfully petitioned the UN to lift the ban on the export of diamonds from Liberia, as of April 2007. She has been able to do this by working hard to eliminate the terrible conditions by which the diamonds were being mined. So, Liberia no longer has a conflict diamond trade, but a legitimate diamond trade. Liberian mined diamonds are certified as conflict free. I’m willing to bet that your teacher didn’t know this. Liberia has an 85% unemployment rate, a crumbling economy, no social infastructure at all and no electricity or running water. Liberia needs to be able to export goods in order to get their economy up and running to improve the standard of living for Liberians. So, in the debate, when your opponet brings up the atrocities in the conflict diamond trade, ask him/her the date of their information. If it pre-dates April 2007, it is irrelevent because diamonds mined after the UN
