Ethnic and Sectarian Challenges - September 2009

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Georgia and Russia: The Search for Peace, Stability and Territorial Integrity

Georgia is strategically located at the juncture of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, on the Black Sea between Russia, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Post-independence in 1991, the bloodless Rose Revolution deposed President Eduard Shevardnadze after a fraudulent election in 2003, and the Western-leaning Mikheil Saakashvili came to power. The government has since put in place a series of institutional reforms leading to impressive economic growth, based on a movement away from agriculture and towards a more service oriented economy.

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Corporate Social Responsibility: An Answer to Conflict Jewelry?

‍Conflict diamonds have reached every corner of the African continent from Sierra Leone, Ghana, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Angola, and Zimbabwe. These diamonds and precious gems have been used by rebel movements and national governments to fund devastating wars for decades. Philippe Le Billion discusses how natural resources have long shaped a black market industry built upon a network of elites, commercial agents, and the abused workers that mine these precious resources. Diamonds and gemstones that motivate these conflicts are easily integrated into international primary commodity markets. With lax standards on tracing systems, sourcing, and transparency, jewelry conglomerates have profited from the violence and perpetuated poverty.

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Energy Policy in Latin America: A Cross Roads of Environmentalism, Indigenous Rights and Development