{"id":146,"date":"2012-03-27T11:53:00","date_gmt":"2012-03-27T15:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/web.colby.edu\/contemporary-issues\/?page_id=146"},"modified":"2012-05-21T01:12:01","modified_gmt":"2012-05-21T05:12:01","slug":"conflict-minerals-news-analysis","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/contemporary-issues\/conflict-minerals-news-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"News Analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Conflict mineral activism has received widespread coverage in the last five years and has seen a rise in coverage in this last year. \u00a0Many different types of news sources cover conflict minerals activism including big name news papers such as the New York Times as well as small blogs and local papers. \u00a0In order to do a comprehensive news analysis of conflict minerals activism, we attempted to survey as many source types as possible. \u00a0From this comprehensive survey, we noticed very distinctive trends and key players that shaped the way in which news sources covered conflict mineral activism.<\/p>\n

Timeline:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

1885<\/strong> \u2013 King Leopold establishes the Congo Free State<\/a>
\n1996 –<\/strong>First Congo War<\/a>
\n1998<\/strong> –Second Congo War<\/a>
\n2007<\/strong> – Enough Project<\/a> Founded
\nMay 2010<\/strong> \u2013 First CFCI<\/a> (Conflict Free Campus Initiative) Resolution Passed at Stanford<\/a>
\nJuly 21, 2010<\/strong> \u2013 Dodd Frank Ac<\/a>t Signed into Law
\nApril 17, 2011 <\/strong>\u2013 Proposed date of SEC implementation of Sec. 1502
\nFebruary 2011 <\/strong>\u2013 Apple publishes \u201c2011 Supplier Responsibility Report\u201d<\/a>
\nMay 25, 2011<\/strong> \u2013 OECD<\/a> (Organization for Cooperation and Development) publishes \u201cDue Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas\u201d<\/a>
\nAugust 7, 2011<\/strong> \u2013 David Aronson publishes controversial Op-Ed<\/a> opposing Conflict Mineral Activism that sparks an ongoing debate
\nOctober 21, 2011<\/strong> \u2013 Blood in the Mobile<\/a> Premiers in the UK
\nDecember 21, 2011 <\/strong>\u2013 Second Proposed date of SEC implementation of Sec. 1502 \u2013 DELAY \u2013 will be addressed again between January-June 2012
\nJanuary 27, 2012 <\/strong>\u2013 EU pledges commitment to OECD
\nFebruary 3, 2012<\/strong> \u2013 Nokia Publishes Policy on Conflict Minerals<\/a><\/p>\n

News Sources and Synthesis: \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

We broke our sources into three different sections: big name papers, smaller papers and blogs, and local papers. \u00a0Below is the synthesis of our findings, we have included all of the articles we surveyed in order to provide a detailed account of what our sources were.<\/p>\n

As we were analyzing the news sources surveyed, we noticed a few very distinct trends in our findings. \u00a0There was a very clear cut\u00a0“Pro”<\/span>\u00a0conflict mineral activism argument that emerged in many of the sources. \u00a0The\u00a0“Pro”<\/span>\u00a0sources argued that conflict mineral activism was effective and necessary in making active change on the ground in the Congo. \u00a0Many of the articles quote expert researchers and use statistics to back up their claims. \u00a0They include images with their articles that often feature very harsh mining conditions and\/or women and children. \u00a0In\u00a0Faith Karimi’s article, “U.S. law targets ‘conflict minerals’ in Congo,”<\/a> published in CNN World she quotes\u00a0Frederick Golooba-Mutebi, a senior research fellow at Makerere University in neighboring Uganda, who regularly visits Congo:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

“This is a step in the right direction. It protects the interests of the Congolese … a lot of minerals are going to be certified, and the law will do away with fly-by-night businesses and introduce bona fide companies that don’t infringe on the rights of the the people.”<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On the other hand, some of the sources had arguments that were very\u00a0“Against”<\/span>\u00a0conflict mineral activism, most often claiming that this type of activism had unintended consequences on the ground and was not effective in making change for the Congolese people. \u00a0Most of the articles condemning conflict mineral activism focused on the lack of Congolese voice found in many of the campaigns. \u00a0Some of the articles listed out the unintended consequences of such activism and used quotes from local Congolese civil society groups to back up their claims. \u00a0Very little actual imagery was used in these articles but a strong image of the Congolese citizen was painted as well as a very ignorant image of the United States Congress and activist NGOs such as the Enough Project. \u00a0In his widely read New York Times Op-Ed, “How Congress Devastated the Congo,”<\/a> David Aronson states:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/em>“But once the advocacy groups succeeded in framing the debate as a contest between themselves and greedy corporate interests, no one bothered to solicit the opinion of local Congolese.\u00a0 As the leader of a civil-society group, Eric Kajemba, asked me, more in confusion than in anger, ‘If the advocacy groups aren\u2019t speaking for the people of eastern Congo, whom are they speaking for?'”<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The remainder of the articles took a\u00a0“Middle”<\/span>\u00a0ground argument. \u00a0The\u00a0“Middle”<\/span>\u00a0sources more often than not supported conflict mineral activism, but called attention to some of the possible negative consequences. \u00a0These articles prompted a more critical eye from the readers, while still advocating for change. \u00a0Many of the articles stated that a more comprehensive approach to peacemaking in the Congo needs to be implemented in addition to this focus on conflict minerals. \u00a0Some of the articles used David Aronson’s controversial Op-Ed piece as a jumping stone to tease through the complexity of conflict minerals activism. \u00a0Almost no actual imagery was used in the articles with the exception of maps of the Congo. \u00a0In his blog post, “Thoughts About Conflict Minerals,”<\/a> Jason Stearns states:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/em>“Efforts to render minerals supply chains more accountable have indeed had unintended adverse effects. As I have written here before, commanders such as Bosco Ntaganda have benefited from smuggling and thousands of people may have been put out of jobs. There is no doubt that the implementation of the law has been sorely wanting, and that there need to be more focus on governance and political developments in general and not just conflict minerals. Nonetheless, I still believe that
\n<\/em>the Dodd-Frank bill – in Section 1502 on the Congo – should be
\nsupported.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Because these three fairly distinct categories emerged in the articles we surveyed, we structured our analysis to look at the amount of\u00a0“Pro,”<\/span>\u00a0“Middle,”<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0“Against”<\/span>\u00a0articles in each type of news medium.<\/p>\n

Main Players:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

On the “Pro”<\/span> side of the debate, the Enough Project and Global Witness and their supporters (including John Prendergast<\/a>, the founder of the Enough Project) were the authors of many of the articles that I read that supported current conflict mineral activism. \u00a0The articles that were “Against”<\/span> conflict mineral activism were written by a variety of sources. \u00a0Most notably was David Aronson, the author of the August 2011 Op-Ed piece called “How Congress Devastated the Congo.” \u00a0Kambale Musavuli<\/a>, the spokesperson for the organization Friends of the Congo also wrote a few articles that were not in support of conflict mineral activism. \u00a0The articles that took a “Middle”<\/span> ground stance were written by a variety of sources. \u00a0The lead voice of the “Middle”<\/span> is Jason Stearns<\/a>, a political scientist who specializes in the Congo and recently published the book Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of Congo and the Great War of Africa<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Synthesis: \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

News Sources:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Big Name Papers:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

PRO Conflict Mineral Activism and Legislation:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Los Angeles Times \u2013 \u201cCracking Down On ‘Conflict Minerals’\u201d<\/a> \u2013 12\/15\/09
\n2. Huffington Post \u2013 \u201cConflict Minerals: A Cover For US Allies and Western Mining Interests?\u201d<\/a>\u2013 12\/14\/09
\n3. CNN –\u00a0\u201cU.S. law targets ‘conflict minerals’ in Congo<\/a>” –\u00a0 7\/24\/10
\n4.\u00a0New York Times Op-Eds \u2013\u00a0\u201cA Conflict Over Conflict Minerals\u201d\u00a0<\/a>\u2013 8\/15\/11
\n5.\u00a0Brookings Institute Press \u2013 \u201cTransparency, Conflict Minerals and Natural Resources: Debating Sections 1502 and 1504 of the Dodd-Frank Act\u201d\u00a0<\/a>\u2013 12\/20\/11
\n6. New York Times \u2013 \u201cNokia Publishes Policy on Conflict Minerals\u201d<\/a> \u2013 2\/3\/12
\n7. The Christian Science Monitor – “Lifting Africa from a mineral ‘curse’ : The US and Europe are moving towards rules that would require their oil and mining industries to reveal all payments to foreign governments. Resource-rich but poor Africa will benefit from such transparency.\u201d \u2013 2\/21\/12
\n8. The Huffington Post \u2013 \u201cFashioning a Trend for Human Rights in Congo\u201d<\/a> \u2013 3\/2\/12<\/span><\/p>\n

MIDDLE GROUND on Conflict Mineral Activism and Legislation:<\/span><\/p>\n

1.\u00a0Huffington Post \u2013\u00a0\u201cConflict Minerals: A Cover For US Allies and Western Mining Interests?\u201d<\/a>\u2013 12\/14\/09<\/span><\/p>\n

AGAINST Conflict Mineral Activism and Legislation:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. New York Times\u00a0 Op-Ed\u2013 \u201cHow Congress Devastated the Congo\u201d<\/a> \u2013 8\/7\/11
\n2. Huffington Post \u2013 \u201cConflict Minerals in the Congo: Let’s Be Frank About Dodd-Frank\u201d<\/a> \u2013 8\/22\/11<\/span><\/p>\n

Smaller Papers and Blogs:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

PRO Conflict Mineral Activism and Legislation:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. InterPress (U.S.) – DR-CONGO: Firms Fuelling ‘Conflict Minerals’ Violence, Report Says<\/a> -7\/21\/09<\/li>\n
  2. \n
      \n
    1. Women\u2019s E-News \u2013 \u201cCongo Rapes Spotlight New ‘Conflict Minerals’ Law\u201d <\/a>\u2013 9\/9\/2010<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      MIDDLE GROUND on Conflict Mineral Activism and Legislation:<\/span><\/p>\n

      1. Jason Stearns \u2013 Congo Siasa blog \u00a0– \u201cThoughts about conflict minerals\u201d<\/a> \u2013 8\/10\/11
      \n2. \u00a0Reuters (India) \u2013       \u201cU.S. SEC wrestling with conflict minerals disclosure\u201d<\/a> \u2013 10\/16\/11
      \n3.\u00a0\u201cThe Elm Consulting Group International\u201d blog by various authors –      \u201cTop Legal Experts Weigh on SEC Conflict Minerals Rulemaking Delay\u201d<\/a> 1\/9\/12
      \n4.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cCorporate Social Responsibility and the Law\u201d Blog by\u00a0Sarah Altschuller –      \u201cThe SEC’s Delayed Rule-Making and Implications for Corporate Conflict Minerals Reports\u201d<\/a> \u2013 1\/16\/12<\/p>\n

      AGAINST Conflict Mineral Activism and Legislation:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Reuters (U.S.) \u2013 \u201cRights group wants Congo ‘conflict mineral’ tracing\u201d <\/a>\u2013 4\/1\/09<\/li>\n
      2. Reuters (U.K.) –\u00a0“Uphill task to solve Congo’s conflict minerals”\u00a0<\/a>\u2013 7\/30\/10<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Local Papers:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

        PRO Conflict Mineral Activism and Legislation:<\/span><\/p>\n

        1.\u00a0News From Africa \u2013 \u201cDRC: Lobby Group Enlists Support of Electronic Companies to End Conflict\u201d <\/a>\u2013 12\/3\/10
        \n2.\u00a0African Arguments \u2013         \u201cDue Diligence Can Help Efforts to End Resource-Fuelled Conflict\u201d <\/a>\u2013 2\/15\/12<\/p>\n

        MIDDLE GROUND on Conflict Mineral Activism and Legislation:<\/span><\/p>\n

        1.\u00a0AllAfrica, DRC \u2013\u00a0\u201cLaw to Curb Conflict Minerals Under Attack By the Chamber of Commerce\u201d\u00a0<\/a>\u2013 10\/18\/11
        \n2. Africa News, Kenya \u2013        \u201cPhone Firm Takes Tough Stance On ‘Conflict Minerals\u2019”<\/a>\u2013 2\/21\/12<\/p>\n

        AGAINST Conflict Mineral Activism and Legislation:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

        1. \u00a0AllAfrica, South Africa \u2013 \u201cAfrica: Minerals Not the Only Cause of Conflict in the Great Lakes Region\u201d <\/a>\u2013 2\/23\/12<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Conflict mineral activism has received widespread coverage in the last five years and has seen a rise in coverage in this last year. \u00a0Many different types of news sources cover conflict minerals activism including big name news papers such as … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3398,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/contemporary-issues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/146"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/contemporary-issues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/contemporary-issues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/contemporary-issues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3398"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/contemporary-issues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146"}],"version-history":[{"count":57,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/contemporary-issues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/146\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":469,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/contemporary-issues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/146\/revisions\/469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/contemporary-issues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}