(Estimated Pub Date) the Challenge of Ethnic Conflict to National and International Order in the 1990S: Geographic Perspectives- October 1995

Approved for Release: 2018/06/01 C00123268
I would like to reiterate a point that Professor Elbow
made, which is that virtually all the conflicts today in
Central America and also in South America are over
land and resources. Indian populations inhabit rich
forested areas, and there is a push-—not necessarily by
the state but often by a combination of corrupt and
greedy government officials, landless peasants, and
multinationals—-to resettle the Indians and to take
resources away from them.
U
In Central America the problem areas will be the low-
lands. An examination of the remaining forestry
resources of the region shows the correspondence
between the forests and the lands currently inhabited
by the region’s Indian populations. Although there are
incipient indigenous group organizations throughout
the areas, they are not strong enough to present any
real opposition to outside forces. These organizations
will need to be nurtured if they are going to be helpful
in protecting the region’s remaining natural endow-
ment. I
General Discussion
QUESTION: Would either of you like to comment on
the possibility of racial strife in Cuba?
MR. Cl-IAPIN: I don’t think that’s an issue.
DR. ELBOW: Most of the whites are living in Miami.
What’s left, from my understanding, is a fairly pre-
dominantly rnulatto and black population.
QUESTION: Would either or both speakers comment
further on the role of nonstate actors such as NGOs
and industry in conflicts in the region? I’m thinking in
particular of attempts to develop oil in Ecuador.
DR. ELBOW: Yes, I am quite familiar with the case of
Ecuador. Both industry—in particular, but not exclu-
sively, the oil industry—and NGOs are active. They are
engaged in a sort of holy war, if you want to think of it
that way, over the Amazon. The NGOs are trying to
preserve what's left of the resources, and the oil compa-
nies and the government are attempting to mine them.
Ecuador has, according to the latest reports, something
on the order of about 20 years worth of oil left, and,
as far as I can determine, industry and government are
trying to get it out in 15 years. The govemment has
allowed the oil companies to move into areas that are
supposedly reserved for Indians and are not supposed
to be exploited. The oil companies can pretty much go
wherever they want to. Now, because of bad press, the
government and the oil companies as well have had to
do a little bit to clean up their act. So pollution has per-
haps been reduced, but the real problem is that where
oil companies go, others follow. The development of
roads by the oil companies has led to the opening up of
the region to colonization. When oil companies clear a
little stretch of road that is 10 meters or more wide, the
colonists come in and take out the rest.
MR. CHAPIN: Initially, when the oil development
started down in the Amazon area, CONOCO and an
Indian group was involved. Then the National
Resources Defense Counsel and others became
engaged. The theory behind the outside involvement
was that negative publicity would pressure CONOCO
to act responsibly. A lot of NGOs then got involved,
Indian groups protested CONOCO actions, and
CONOCO pulled out. When CONOCO left, a number
of small wildcat groups, who could not be pressured
on anything, went in and started taking it over. So that
is the current situation.
QUESTION: The UN working group on the rights of
indigenous people has been developing a declaration
that will eventually work its way up in the UN system.
This declaration addresses the issue of rights and con-
trol of resources by indigenous peoples. Do you see
much of a chance for this declaration being passed by
the UN, and, if so, how would that impact upon the
relationship between indigenous peoples and the
state? Would it tend to lessen friction or increase it?
MR. CHAPIN: I don’t think it will have much effect
at all simply because any resolution passed by the
UN has no legal status in any of these countries. If
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Approved for Release: 2018/06/01 C00123268