The Trump administration has ordered a review of Dodd-Frank banking regulations with view to scale back its scope. This would include dismantling rules that require companies using ‘conflict minerals’ to disclose their sourcing and monitor supply chains.
Over 60% of the global cobalt supply comes from the DRC where a legacy of civil war, the persistence of basic forms of mining, and a weak state make ethical and transparent sourcing hugely challenging.
Why would a company choose to set up operations in one of the DRC’s most unstable areas even as a crisis threatens to tip the country back towards conflict?
Wikileaks has successfully created an online forum that publicizes normally secretive communications. Its most recent attacks on the U.S. government and military have brought widespread condemnation from officials, diplomats, and civilian experts. It remains to be seen whether this public shaming will create more transparent government or just encourage diplomats to be increasingly secretive. But […]