Documents / FOIA release
This Central Intelligence Agency conference report, numbered RTT 95-10039 and dated October 1995, presents the proceedings of a conference held 30 September to 1 October 1993. The CIA's Geographic Resources Division sponsored the conference. In it, academic geographers, anthropologists and US Government officials examined ethnic conflict by region, covering Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia and South Asia. The report also discusses what these conflicts mean for US policy. It does not deal with UFOs or unidentified aerial phenomena.
“Anderson”6 pages
Approved for Release: 2018/06/01 C00123268 at the left and right sides? Or do we have maps with the Pacific Ocean in the middle and the Asian and American landmasses at the left and right. -Perhaps one of"our difficulties is using old maps with old boundaries and names, which tend to convey mes- sages of stability at global and regional levels. Do we regularly in our research, classroom, and lectures uti- lize maps that portray boundary stability, ethnic har- mony or complexity, or gradations of tyranny and democracy? Powerful messages are conveyed through maps and projections. As an instructor, I am reminded how more valuable the maps are in the State of-the World Atlases—including the specialized ones on women, military, and environment-than are those in our textbooks and frequently used atlases. We would do well to develop other innovative maps for various users. ’ Which Way Are We Looking as We Approach the Next Century? At this time it is useful to think about how we approach the study of -the future. Are we looking back- wards as we look ahead or do we look ahead without the burden of hindsight? The question might be simi- lar to that raised above about map projections. Are we too frozen in our thinking to look at the dynamics occurring around us? Certainly the next 10 to 20 years will call for looking at the world differently than the past 10 to 20 years. Will we try to use models, theo- ries, and policies from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s- many of which did not help us then—for the future? Or will we be willing to realize the need for working constantly with altemative systems and models that may be completely non-Westem in logic, purpose, and design? The true test will be whether scholars, and those communities that rely on scholarly inquiry, will be able to be imaginative and creative in exploring the purposes and cross-purposes of what is being observed, written, and practiced. Major Issues Meriting Attention As a geographer interested in global politics, I identify six major areas that I think will be important within the next 20 years. They are the environment, religion, secularization, sports, territory, and information/com- munication. How “Green” Is Your Thinking? Environmental questions are being raised in all areas of human livelihood. This includes making decisions about where crops will be grown as well as where industries will locate. Although there is much support for environmental thinking and policies, progress is not attained easily, in part because many people have difficulty seeing the need to incorporate green think- ing into education, religion, politics, and economies. A true test is whether those who teach political geog- raphy will successfully incorporate green thinking into spheres traditionally excluded from such thought. Religion as if Politics Mattered As the events of the past couple decades have demon- strated, religion is an important element in our exami- nation of foreign affairs. It is not only the rise of Islamic fundamenta1ism—again, a Westem label—in the Middle East that illustrates the significance of this issue but also militancy in the name of religion in Ire- land, Israel/Palestine, India, and Pakistan. Evangelical groups and liberation theologians have confronted the politics in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. In South Africa as well as in former Eastern Europe, the church at times has been active in pushing for political reforms. In many countries, those seeking political office are courted and supported by certain religious groups. The importance of religion as a component in the politics in many states and regions cannot be over- looked. Leaders often look to the state-church or to important church leaders for support and encourage- ment. To dismiss the growing importance of religion in emerging democracies, the blurring of church-state separateness in others, and the importance of the spiri- tual dimension in human life is to neglect an important component of raison d’ etre in many societies. Aca- demics and policymakers would be wise to devote as much time to studying a society’s religion as they do its economy in order to understand the decisions and actions of leaders, political parties, and citizen groups. The Rise of Secularization The rise of secularization in the world is not ques- tioned. I do not see this emergence as a corollary to what I stated about religion above. ButI observe there is a growth of a secular society, including emphasis on 188 Approved for Release: 2018/06/01 C00123268
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FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 205 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.