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.
“Cooper”9 pages
Approved for Release: 2018/06/01 C00123268 50 percent within the next decade as more informa- tion is generated and stored but not necessarily ana- lyzed or understood. Sometimes, I think “we don’t know what we don’t know.” Such information gaps are especially apparent when working with new democracies, new ideologies, and problems related to human welfare. ' How do we communicate? How we communicate is always a problem and will remain so far among those who attempt to understand global political changes. The introduction of faster and cheaper modes of communication—modems, FAX machines and e-mail—literally place more locations on the planet within easy reach of others that are con- nected. It is important to know from where the infor- mation comes and its credibility. ' CNN and photographs. CNN, out of Atlanta, is replacing the standard news organizations and sources. This “global newspaper of the air” reaches all parts of the world. What viewers see are CNN ’s views of the world. Literally, we could say that “We are watching CNN and CNN is watching us.” The second part ofthis instant television of the-world is the growing importance of images conveyed to glo- bal audiences by CNN and other television net- works. Photos are replacing words and speeches as the important elements in many international policy decisions. ' ~ Surveys and polls. One of the consequences of the information revolution is the increased use of polls and surveys at local, regional, and global levels. Those groups surveyed may have narrow or broad support among a state’s population; for this reason, the geographic results of surveys and polls take on added meaning. The use of these surveys, whether designed and conducted fairly or manipulated, can form an important weapon on the part of the state to conduct specific policies in certain regions and with certain groups. Learning About Conflict and Cooperation Much of the discussion during the past few days has focused on ethnic conflict within states and regions. As we have learned, there are multiple causes of local and regional conflict, and conflict assumes different forms in different locations and political settings. There is no question that the geographies and politics of conflict—especially ethnic and racial confiict—will assume center stage in many regions during the next few decades. While we spend time and energy studying the causes and geographies of conflict, we also would be wise to investigate conflict resolution. That is, what are the alternatives to keep conflict? What are useful local and regional strategies that govemments and other institutions—-including religious, educational, and volunteer ones--might implement to conflict situa- tions from emerging. Or, once conflict has surfaced, what can be done to lessen or resolve the conflict or prevent it from spreading. Much of the conflict resolu- tion literature focuses on information—-who knows what about another group. Understanding conflict and conflict resolution is best not left only to experts in the govermnent or universities who swdy cultural, poli- tics, and social change. It also must be an integral part of the educational system in early and middle school years. Just as one learns to hate and practice discrimi- nation, so one can learn strategies to reduce conflict, hatred, and discrimination and see the benefits of rec- onciliation. Looking Ahead In closing, I think it is important to train and retrain professionals for the future geopolitical worlds of the next 25 to 50 years. This entails an understanding and appreciation of the new global diversities that the planet’s leaders and citizens will face. There are not one or two best solutions to problems, but potentially a host of altematives. Somehow it is important to develop familiarity with various models and method- ologies ranging from scenario writing to complex mathematical computer gaming. Specialists need to be constantly investigating creative alternatives to exist- ing or anticipated problems. Being bold, creative, and imaginative are more important than being bound by disciplinary strategems, traditional solutions, and regi- mented ideologies and philosophies. 190 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.