(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
environmental context can often be seen in the rhetoric
and iconography of ethnic movements; great attention
is paid to the unique physical characteristics of a
group‘s homeland in the songs, poems, art, and litera-
ture of the group. In many cases, these environmental
characteristics are so much a part of group identity that
any threat to them can precipitate a crisis. The link
between ethnicity and environmental context is even
deeper in parts of the world where differences in sub-
sistence practices define ethnic boundaries. In the
highlands of Nepal, agriculture and ethnicity are
closely linked. An understanding of the intricacies of
that link is of considerable importance if we are to gain
insight into the types of events that can precipitate
conflict. Knowing that the Hindus equate brown grains
with impurity, for example, allows us to understand
the potential implications of a decision emanating
from Katmandu to introduce brown rice into the area.
The state of the environment in an ethnic region can
also become a source of conflict. The ethnopolitical
consequences of ecological degradation were apparent
in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s; concerns over the
rapidly deteriorating state of the environment in Bul-
garia, Romania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and
Poland provided a rallying point for those seeking to
bring down Soviet hegemony in the region. Within
states, policies that promote environmental degrada-
tion in ethnic homelands or territories, whether inten-
tional or not, can spark dissention and conflict. This
can be seen in former Czechoslovakia where the cen-
tral government decided to support the Gabcikovo-
Nagymaros hydroelectric dam project on the Danube
River. The project, which will result in the flooding of
land within the part of Slovakia where Hungarians are
concentrated, sparked protests amongst Slovakia’s
Hungarian minority. -
Manipulation of the environment is also frequently
used as a tactic in ethnic conflicts. In some cases,
efforts are made to demarcate the boundaries of ethnic
territories through the building of particular structures
(for instance, walls and fences), the erection of signs,
or the emplacement of more subtle indicators of ethnic
group territoriality (for instance, symbolic icons or
structures) (see Rumley and Minghi 1991). In other
cases, land use decisions are made with the goal
of asserting control over a given area. This is most
clearly seen when settlements are established in
disputed territories (for instance, the establishment of
settlements by Israeli Jews in the West Bank). More
subtle land use decisions are also linked to ethnic con-
flict. In a provocative recent study, Shaul Cohen
(1993) has shown how the Israeli Government and the
Palestinians use tree planting to assert their claims to
land, the former through afforestation schemes and the
latter through the planting of olive groves. Studies of
this sort highlight the importance of landscape and
land use issues for understanding ethnic conflict.
Policy Implications and Conclusion
The forgoing account has only scratched the surface
of the ways in which geographical perspectives can
enhance our understanding of ethnic conflict. Each of
the highlighted themes could be greatly expanded, as
will undoubtedly become clear in the regional papers
that follow. Looking at ethnicity through a geographi-
cal lens has a variety of implications for the fonnula-
tion of policy responses to ethnic conflict, but three
stand out: (1) the importance of looking beyond politi-
cal leaders, (2) the importance of looking beyond indi-
vidual states, and (3) the importance of looking at
maps—-not just political maps, but ethnic, economic,
environmental, and perceptual maps as well.
Turning to the first two points, most of the questions we
ask about the world are framed in terms of states and
state leaders. The assumption is made that states are the
units that really matter in the world today, and the key
questions are thought to be those that focus on the via-
bility and policy stances of political regimes. While this
assumption made some sense during the Cold War era,
it is increasingly problematic. The very ubiquity of eth-
nic conflict points to its limitations. If we are to grasp
the dynamics and power of ethnic conflict in the mod-
em world, we must be prepared to look at ethnicity
from a bottom-up perspective, one that begins with the
aspirations and needs of groups, not one that always
begins with the existing pattern of states. '
This is where geography comes in, for a geographical
perspective provides important insights into ethnicity
and ethnic relations that go beyond conventional
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Approved for Release: 2018/06/01 C00123268