Documents / FOIA release

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

Central Intelligence Agency · 205 pages · text from the file's own layer

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.

  • p. 9 …how various groups have reacted to rising terri- tion as well as numerous territorial processes that…
  • p. 18 …thus closely linked to the second core terri- territorial status quo for granted. torial issue: the…
  • p. 19 …ment initially focused on individual language rights The latter encompasses laws that set aside some terri…
  • p. 28 …have valid links between their identity and their terri- tory and have the expectation of rights…
  • p. 32 …and socioeconomic status as they relate to terri- toriality. Dr. Murphy referred to the ability of…
  • p. 33 …Although a statistical correla- suggest giving the old provinces more political-terri- tion existed between region…
  • p. 50 …want Krajina as a piece of geographical terri- assigning identities to local populations who often did…
  • p. 52 …Sovereignty over European terri- taposition of two ethnic groups, a common feature of tory was initially…
  • p. 66 …That may mean some of the kinds of terri- quasiautonomous nature. Despite this devolution, a torial…
  • p. 76 …National identity and terri- perceived as their homeland, and this has frequently torial identity have been…
  • p. 79 …Russia today in terms of its internal terri- nomically seceding. Is the center giving power to…
  • p. 153 …The real crux of the terri- The ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka is primarily between torial…
C00123268
its relations with Turkey. Thus, in the event of a widen- By continuing to legitimize Serbian aggression, we
ing war, we may find Serbia and Greece isolated and are once again letting the people of Eastern Europe
Turkey, Bulgaria, and Albania backed by Russia, know that we do not support democratic governments
Croatia, Hungary, and many Middle Eastern States. It or independent nation-states in that region. We should
is doubtful that we could do anything under those cir- therefore not be surprised that a greater and far more
cumstances in terms of any involvement, serious war may be looming on the horizon. The
alienation of the Turks and of Turkey is a far more
Although one can paint other scenarios, one thing is serious issue in the realm of geopolitical reality than
clear-the West made a grave error in allowing and the support of Serbian delusions of grandeur. We risk
promoting Serbian aggression. Some say it is too late not only a great Balkan war but also one that may
to do anything. That is an absurd position. In 1940 one result in Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey changing their
could say that Germany had won the war and that it national borders. Inaction in Bosnia has also resulted
was too late to do anything to free Poland or Czecho- in a massive rise of anti-Western and anti-American
slovakia. The Russians proved otherwise. Serbia is not sentiment throughout the Middle East and other Mus-
a great power and need not be feared. If after three lim areas. The United States should rethink its posi-
years of vast military superiority the Serbs still have tion on Serbia.
not won, they would be easy to push back. The main-
tenance of the embargo against the Bosnian Muslims
should be lifted and airpower should be used to liber-
ate Bosnia. It is certainly not too late to do that.
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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.