Documents / FOIA release
This Central Intelligence Agency conference report, dated October 1995, contains the proceedings of a conference on ethnic conflict held 30 September to 1 October 1993. The CIA's Geographic Resources Division sponsored it. Academic geographers, anthropologists and US Government officials presented papers on ethnic and territorial conflict in Eastern Europe, Western Europe, the former Soviet Union, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia and South Asia. They also discussed what these conflicts mean for US policy. The document contains no UFO material.
“Nevers”25 pages
COO123268 at the left and right sides? Or do we have maps with How "Green" Is Your Thinking? the Pacific Ocean in the middle and the Asian and Environmental questions are being raised in all areas American landmasses at the left and right. Perhaps of human livelihood. This includes making decisions one of-our difficulties is using old maps with old. about where crops will be grown as well as where boundaries and names, which tend to convey mes- industries will locate. Although there is much support sages of stability at global and regional levels. Do we for environmental thinking and policies, progress is regularly in our research, classroom, and lectures uti- not attained easily, in part because many people have lize maps that portray boundary stability, ethnic har- difficulty seeing the need to incorporate green think- mony or complexity, or gradations of tyranny and , ing into education, religion, politics, and economies. democracy? Powerful messages are conveyed through A true test is whether those who teach political geog- maps and projections. As an instructor, I am reminded raphy will successfully incorporate green thinking how more valuable the maps are in the State of the into spheres traditionally excluded from such thought. World Atlases-including the specialized ones on women, military, and environment-than are those in Religion as if Politics Mattered our textbooks and frequently used atlases. We would As the events of the past couple decades have demon- do well to develop other innovative maps for various strated, religion is an important element in our exami- users. nation of foreign affairs. It is not only the rise of Islamic fundamentalism-again, a Western label-in Which Way Are We Looking as We Approach the the Middle East that illustrates the significance of this Next Century? issue but also militancy in the name of religion in Ire- At this time it is useful to think about how we land, Israel/Palestine, India, and Pakistan. Evangelical approach the study of the future. Are we looking back- groups and liberation theologians have confronted the wards as we look ahead or do we look ahead without politics in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. In South the burden of hindsight? The question might be simi- Africa as well as in former Eastern Europe, the church lar to that raised above about map projections. Are we at times has been active in pushing for political too frozen in our thinking to look at the dynamics reforms. In many countries, those seeking political occurring around us? Certainly the next 10 to 20 years office are courted and supported by certain religious will call for looking at the world differently than the groups. The importance of religion as a component in past 10 to 20 years. Will we try to use models, theo- the politics in many states and regions cannot be over- ries, and policies from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s- looked. Leaders often look to the state-church or to many of which did not help us then-for the future? important church leaders for support and encourage- Or will we be willing to realize the need for working ment. To dismiss the growing importance of religion constantly with alternative systems and models that in emerging democracies, the blurring of church-state may be completely non-Western in logic, purpose, and separateness in others, and the importance of the spiri- design? The true test will be whether scholars, and tual dimension in human life is to neglect an important those communities that rely on scholarly inquiry, will component of raison d'etre in many societies. Aca- be able to be imaginative and creative in exploring the demics and policymakers would be wise to devote as purposes and cross-purposes of what is being much time to studying a society's religion as they do observed, written, and practiced. its economy in order to understand the decisions and actions of leaders, political parties, and citizen groups. Major Issues Meriting Attention The Rise of Secularization The rise of secularization in the world is not ques- As a geographer interested in global politics, I identify tioned. I do not see this emergence as a corollary to six major areas that I think will be important within what I stated about religion above. But I observe there the next 20 years. They are the environment, religion, is a growth of a secular society, including emphasis on secularization, sports, territory,and information/com- munication. 188
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FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. 205 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.