1995-10-01a- CIA Conference Report: THE CHALLENGE OF ETHNIC CONFLICT TO NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ORDER IN THE 1990S GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVES 01-Oct-95

C00123268
of the Kurds, a larger sense of group identity devel- us much about the circumstances that lead to ethnic
oped out of a territorial struggle that marginalized and conflict (see Wixman 1986). General analyses of legal
ignored the Kurdish peoples. In the Flemish case, the arrangements in multiethnic states draw a distinction
implementation of a territorial strategy by a move- between "personal" and territorial policy approaches.
ment initially focused on individual language rights The latter encompasses laws that set aside some terri-
provided a crucible in which a larger sense of ethnic tory for a given ethnic group. The assumption is often
identity could develop. In both cases, ethnic demands made that these laws are pluralist in intent and effect;
and intergroup relations are fundamentally tied to the it is assumed that they are acknowledgments of the
development and institutionalization of particular ter- existence of ethnic diversity and that they operate to
ritorial arrangements. sustain that diversity. A closer examination of territo-
rial policies in multiethnic states reveals a much more
The political-territorial history of a region is also complicated picture (Murphy 1989). In some cases,
implicated in the development and conduct of inter- territorial policies reflect a desire to recognize and
group conflict. This is because particular issues take sustain diversity (for instance, Switzerland, India, and
on significance as territorial structures come into Canada). In other instances such policies have dis-
being and because those structures, in turn, provide tinctly different intents and effects. Territorial policies
the frameworks within which the issues in question are adopted to diffuse international pressure (for
are confronted. This complex point can best be illus- instance, the recognition of-ethnic territories in
trated through an example. In early 20th century Bel- Burma), to promote rivalry between groups (for
gium, the Flemish movement sought to secure the instance, Soviet manipulation of borders in the Cauca-
rights of Dutch or Flemish speakers to use their lan- sus and Central Asia), and even deliberately to con-
guage in public life. Frustrated by their lack of success strain ethnic rights (for instance, the creation of
and concerned about the growing use of French in "homelands" for the indigenous peoples of South
northern Belgium, they changed strategies and began Africa). Understanding the intent and effect of such
to call for the partitioning of the country along lan- policies is clearly important if we are to judge what a
guage lines. This eventually occurred, and the country territory means for a given group and the role that the
is now a federation made up of language regions with territorial context plays in intergroup relations.
broad competencies over economic, social, and cul-
tural matters. The adoption and implementation of a
territorial approach to the language problem shifted Environment: Its Context in Ethnic Conflict
attention away from individual language rights and
directed it toward territorial issues; disputes over the Geographers are fundamentally concerned with the
use of language in governmental and commercial relationship between people and the environment.
affairs were replaced by conflicts over the regional This relationship is important in the context of ethnic
affiliations of certain communes along the language group relations because ethnic identity is often tied to
boundary and around Brussels. Moreover, since pow- a particular environmental context, because ecological
ers over a broad array of issues were devolved to the issues can become focuses of intergroup conflict, and
language regions, many economic, social, and politi- because the manipulation of the environment is a fre-
cal matters took on ethnoregional significance. As a quently used tactic to advance particular ethnoterrito-
result, the internal territorial structure of Belgium has rial ends. A brief examination of these three factors
promoted ethnoregionalism. Without a consideration provides insight into the importance of the geographi-
of the development and institutionalization of territo- cal concern with the environmental foundations of
rial arrangements in Belgium, this point could easily ethnic relations.
be missed.
In many parts of the world, ethnic identity is closely
A final reason for focusing on the processes by which linked to a people's understanding and use of the envi-
territorial arrangements come into being is that such ronment. The strong tie between ethnic identity and
an approach provides insight into the purposes behind
the creation of ethnic territories. This, in turn, can tell
10