J. Andrew Grant

Global governance and conflict diamonds: the Kimberley Process and the quest for clean gems

Through a series of meetings and consultations over the past four years—known as the Kimberley Process—representatives from government, civil society and the diamond industry have devised a regulatory framework that aims to end the trade in conflict diamonds. This article assesses the accomplishments and challenges associated with the regulatory framework ranging from the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) on the production and export of diamonds to the ‘chain of warranties’ upheld by diamond wholesalers and retailers. By tracing the evolution of conflict diamonds as a pressing human security concern in international politics, we demonstrate that the ongoing Kimberley Process represents an intriguing development in global governance and multi‐track diplomacy.

Diamonds, Foreign Aid, and the Uncertain Prospects for Post-Conflict Reconstruction in Sierra Leone

Abstract This article examines the external and internal dimensions of post-conflict reconstruction in Sierra Leone. The United Nations, bilateral donors such as the UK, and transnational non-governmental organizations and aid agencies have been instrumental in providing much-needed external assistance to Sierra Leone during the latter stages of its civil war and in the immediate post-war period. Although foreign aid is a welcome source of external support for reconstruction efforts, it is finite like any other resource. Reconstruction must also address intangible issues such as corruption, as well as the healing of society through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Special Court for Sierra Leone. Diamond exports hold potential as an internal source to spur economic growth and reconstruction. However, as the article illustrates, many obstacles remain, ranging from governance weaknesses in terms of capacity and domestic regulatory schemes on diamonds to the existence of illicit mining and smuggling of diamonds to regional instability.

The Kimberley Process at Ten: Reflections on a Decade of Efforts to End the Trade in Conflict Diamonds

Rough diamonds are not the only natural resource linked to violent conflict, but they have gained much notoriety through their association with civil wars in Sierra Leone and Angola, among other countries. Although diamonds did not cause these wars, they were a major funding source, allowing the fighting to continue. In the late 1990s, an intense international outcry against these “blood diamonds” led to the creation of an international governance framework to sever the link between the gems and the violence they facilitated.

Consensus dynamics and global governance frameworks: insights from the Kimberley Process on conflict diamonds

One of the central challenges for scholars of global governance is that the published charters, guidelines, rules, and final documents of global governance frameworks provide an incomplete understanding of how decisions are actually made within such international forums. Much of what is considered global governance occurs behind closed doors during teleconferences, official meetings, and informal side-meetings. This challenge is magnified in global governance frameworks that are driven by consensus-based decision-making. This article tackles this challenge by providing insights into the consensus-based decision-making processes of the Kimberley Process on conflict diamonds. In so doing, the article advances the debates on global governance in two ways. First, it draws upon participant observations, interviews with state and non-state actors, and privileged access to key documents in order to illustrate and assess how governance ‘crises’ concerning two Kimberley Process Participants – Republic of the Congo and Zimbabwe – are addressed by this global governance framework. Second, the article discusses future governance challenges for the Kimberley Process as well as highlights the promise and limitations of consensus-based decision-making within global governance frameworks.

Natural resources, international regimes and state-building: Diamonds in west Africa

Informed by the literature on regional security and fragile states, ‘new regionalisms’, and natural resources and violent conflict, this essay investigates the challenges of state-building in West Africa. These range from the influence of diasporas and subregional strongmen to flows of small arms and light weapons (SALWs) and lootable natural resources. The analytical framework that links patron–client networks and lootable natural resources is applied to the cases of Sierra Leone and Cote d’Ivoire. In recent years, strategies by African leaders to co-opt subregional strongmen as part of patronage networks have failed. The essay finds that an ossified state presence and the erosion of a leaders influence enables subregional strongmen to gain control over valuable natural resources, such as diamonds. The essay then assesses the impact of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) on state-building, concluding that although international regimes like the KPCS can increase state capacity and thereby counter the deleterious effects of state failure, they are not sufficient state-building tools. Hence, the KPCS must be supplemented through a combination of more explicit state-building initiatives under the auspices of bilateral government donors, aid agencies, diasporas and transnational and local NGOs.

Constitutional change, Aboriginal rights, and mining policy in Canada

In 1982 an Aboriginal rights provision (Section 35) was added to the Canadian Constitution. This article identifies and assesses two impacts of this provision on Canadian mining policies. First, Section 35 has shattered the legal certainty that characterised policymaking in this field. Second, the traditional approach to mining policy in Canada – an approach that allowed both government and industry to ignore the interests of Aboriginal peoples – is no longer viable. The article concludes by making the case that while Section 35 has undermined the traditional norms of policymaking in this area it is too soon to say whether the emerging modus operandi will provide the means for Aboriginal peoples to secure their interests.

Forest governance and REDD+ in Central Africa: towards a participatory model to increase stakeholder involvement in carbon markets

Abstract Forests play a significant role in the global carbon budget, and can help to mitigate climate change impacts. Tropical forests which experience high rates of deforestation and forest degradation are particularly important, as they are the most active in winter. Based on academic research into global environmental policies in Central Africa, this study finds that REDD+ policies can succeed when there is a carbon market mechanism that increases participation by developing countries, with better integration of forest management and community forestry. Incentives should be based on an appropriate baseline, accurate carbon stocks and fluxes estimation, a suitable silvicultural system and regular monitoring.

Network Governance and the African Timber Organization: Prospects for Regional Forestry Governance in Africa

Forests, covering over 30 per cent of our planet’s surface, come in many shapes and sizes — from the snow-covered evergreen woods of colder climes to the tropical rainforests sweltering along the equator. These wooded ecosystems, often holding little more in common than a dense concentration of trees, are very important to their respective regions’ ecological balance. Forests are vital ‘carbon sinks’ that absorb carbon dioxide and produce the oxygen necessary for life to exist on our planet. Forests are a source of shelter, food, fuel, heat, and wide variety of manufactured goods for human populations. Their importance cannot be overstressed. Accordingly, the governments of most countries endowed with these precious resources, and a host of other organizations, have taken great pains to ensure that forests are utilized in a sustainable way that will not damage this natural resource beyond regeneration.

‘New’ Approaches to the Governance of Africa’s Natural Resources

Extant work on natural resources in Africa has made significant contributions towards our understanding of key challenges and prospects facing the sector, especially with regard to governance-related matters. Discussions on the multifaceted nature of relevant stakeholders in the resource sector have particularly been fruitful in yielding renewed engagement with previously neglected dynamics such as the role of corporate actors and the significance of global standards in the regulation of natural resources on the continent. In this context, the scholarship on natural resource governance in Africa has arguably evolved from a predominant view that held state actors as the primary actors of resource governance to one that acknowledges the powerful role of non-state actors such as multinational corporations and civil society organizations in the governance process. Yet, with a great number of analyses studying the significance of various state and non-state actors’ impacts on African natural resource governance, much remains to be deciphered with regard to the local and global norms and structures through, and within, which these various stakeholders operate. This book is innovative in its approach in that it aims to advance our understanding of such norms and structures, by presenting recent scholarship from various disciplinary perspectives, thus illustrating throughout the chapters an extensive coverage of a different number of natural resource sectors and resource-rich African countries.

Prospects and Trends in the Governance of Africa’s Natural Resources: Reflections on the Role of External and Internal Actors

Contemporary studies of Africa’s natural resource sectors are concerned with concepts such as governance, transnational m, regionalism (s), ‘network’/’public’ diplomacy, norms (e.g., good governance and corporate social responsibility), and conflict commodities. By way of conclusion, this chapter aims not only to identify and elaborate upon the most important theoretical, empirical, and policy trends associated with these concepts and place them in a broader perspective but also to reflect upon what generalizations may be made regarding the diffusion of such concepts and their impact on governance in Africa’s natural resource sectors. To this end, the chapter is divided into five main sections. The first section revisits the theme of oil in Africa by examining the shift away from privileging a focus on energy ‘security’ towards the embracing of a new agenda on energy ‘governance’. This provides us with a new lens to understand why governance challenges in the oil sector (and other natural resource sectors) must move beyond dominant state-centric approaches. The second section explores the prospects and trends in Africa’s natural resources by focusing on a series of interrelated themes around the continent’s most important resource — land. This section is divided into three subsections that explore the following issues related to the governance of land in Africa: the rise of land grabs, the growth of Chinese investments in Africa’s natural resource sectors, and land conflicts and the politics around land reform.