Dial M for [Conflict] Minerals

Enough’s Conflict Minerals campaign reached a fever pitch this past week with a protest at Washington D.C.’s new Apple store, a spoof Mac commercial, a Nicholas Kristof op-ed and consideration of a conflict minerals bill in Congress.

The evolution from “blood diamonds” to “blood phones” (ugh) is easy to trace. Not many people interact with diamonds on a daily basis, but the vast majority of Americans own at least a cell phone and a computer. The reservoir of white person’s guilt runs deep; it is just a matter of finding a way to tap it. This is how it’s done- Send a text today? That text helped finance millions of rapes in the Dark Continent. Bad hipster.

Unfortunately, the so-called “conflict minerals” may not be involved in conflict. As Texas in Africa points out, there is no direct causal relationship between the mineral trade and violence in the DRC. Even if there were reliable data demonstrating a direct link, conflict minerals advocates have failed to make a convincing argument that electronics suppliers are using minerals originating from the DRC. Apple is notoriously secretive, especially when it comes to the identity of its suppliers. When the iPhone 3G was released a list of suppliers was supposedly leaked and subsequently debunked. The Enough Project even admits the supply chain lacks transparency. And while it’s true the DRC has a number of tantalum mines, the primary source of the world’s tantalum is Australia. Mines also exist in China, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Thailand and Malaysia. Now ask yourself, if your job was to keep the tantalum flowing would you rather deal with the DRC or Australia?

I’m probably the furthest thing from a free market capitalist, but I can’t help but wonder how something akin to the Kimberly Process would impact the economics of cell phones. Certainly not every mine is controlled by bloodthirsty warlords. Would a more stringent auditing process force down the already miniscule wages mine workers are paid? Are we trading our piece of mind for someone else’s quality of life? More worrisome is whether Enough’s demands would force cell phone prices up. My pockets probably won’t be hurting, but what about those in the developing world? They are far from a silver bullet, but cell phones are, without argument, a transforming force for many in the developing world. They have revolutionized banking, microfinance, the reporting of human rights violations, and access to medical care. Will a demand for conflict free minerals turn manufacturers to employ more expensive suppliers in parts of the world where these minerals are more difficult to extract?

Even if Apple, Intel, Microsoft and other electronic companies adopted Enough’s suggestions about transparency and certification with minimum costs it is unlikely this would lead to a drop in violence. What would lead to a drop in violence? Investment in infrastructure, good governance, ending the culture of impunity, tackling the illegal arms trade (hell, even the legal arms trade) or any number of other programs that don’t involve a dubious linkage between bloodshed and a popular consumer product.