Understanding the ongoing conflict in the Central African Republic is essential to assessing the Kimberley Process, a global diamond certification scheme that originated in 2003 to stop the trade in conflict diamonds. More evident than in any other country, diamonds have contributed to the conflict in the Central African Republic after the Kimberley Process was implemented. Thus, examining the influence of the Kimberley Process on the conflict in the Central African Republic is crucial to understanding whether the agreement is useful in its original goal of preventing conflict diamonds from entering the market. The existence of private diamond companies with preferences that are in line with Kimberley Process regulations are a necessary condition for Kimberley Process compliance. Unlike most diamond-producing states, large diamond mining companies have not been present in the Central African Republic. Thus compliance with the Kimberley Process has been minimal, even in comparison to other similar African states. The lack of feasibility in enforcing the monolithic regulatory framework brought about by the Kimberley Process in the Central African Republic demonstrates that the Kimberley Process is ill-suited to preventing diamonds from funding conflict in this case.

Chapter 6 focuses on how the state administration in Sierra Leone is too weak to comply with the Kimberley Process at a high level, despite a preference for compliance. This shows how cooperation is a necessary but not always sufficient condition to bring about a high level of compliance. This research finds that low state capacity in regions where diamond mining takes place leads to widespread smuggling and a moving target for regulators over time. Furthermore, the “alluvial” nature of most diamond deposits in Sierra Leone, where diamonds can be mined with little capital investment, makes certification difficult. The reality of how the Kimberley Process has interacted with the government of Sierra Leone and the motivations of private actors within the country are essential in understanding attempts at homogenizing the domestic policy of states through international regimes and the limitations that result.