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.
“Terry”12 pages
C00123268 Emigration - Russia narrowly averted conflict over Chechnya's Nontitular outmigration occurs in regions of violent declaration of independence in 1991; the North Cau- ethnic conflict such as the Transcaucasus and Central casus is the most likely region in Russia to become Asia, and among nontitular populations without a the scene of conflict escalation in the future. 5 strong sense of homeland. The first wave of nontitular emigration was primarily of those nonindigenes who - The Tatars,.Bashkirs, Yakuts, Tuvins, and Buryats- had recently immigrated to the region. In the past two more highly nationalized communities in Russia- years, an increasing number of those nontitular mem- have pressed for greater independence in a more bers with deeper roots in the regions are leaving, par- confederal Russia. If they are unhappy with the new ticularly in areas of interethnic violence. This latter constitution being worked out, the potential exists migration is referred to as refugee migration, and it for rising national separatism.6 Of course, this will, had exceeded 3 million by early fall 1993. I will limit and indeed already has, provoked rising Russian ter- my remarks here because Dr. Schwartz will be provid- ritorial nationalism in the republic. ing the details of this aspect of ethnic conflict in the former USSR later. " Russians in Narva and Sillamae declared territorial autonomy but backed down when the Estonian Resistance Supreme Court declared these referendums illegal. Separatism. This reaction is more likely in areas of nontitular concentration where the local population - Russians in Crimea have declared their autonomy has developed a strong sense of homeland that is and their intent to secede from Ukraine. This has directly threatened by the territorial nationalism of the been the site of rising interethnic tensions among titular nation. The nontitular group or indigenous Russians, Ukrainians, and Crimean Tatars returning minority seeks to gain greater territorial autonomy as from exile in Central Asia. a way to minimize the impact of titular nation's nationalism. This nontitular reaction in turn has typi- - Russian nationalist parties in northern Kazakstan cally provoked a stronger counteraction on the part of have also proclaimed their goal of secession from the titular nation, leading to'conflict escalation. Of Kazakstan and merger with Russia, but thus far this course, early examples of this occurred in Transcauca- objective is not shared by a majority of Russians in sia (Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia, and Abkha- the region. This is in part because Kazakh territorial zia), and in Moldova (Trans-Dinestria and among the nationalism has been muted in the republic by mod- Gagauz). erate Kazakh political elites at least through 1992. It may also be true that the demographic status of two Most autonomous units of the Soviet federation relatively equal communities has tended to dampen declared their sovereignty immediately following the titular nationalism. declarations of sovereignty by the Union republics in 1990. But not all are equally separatist. Ethnic and Political Opposition. Nontitular groups have also regional variations again depend on the degree of attempted to organize opposition political parties and/ national consciousness on the part of the indigenous or movements. For example, the Russian "interna- minority, the history of majority-minority relations in tional fronts" in the Baltic republics developed in the region, and the degree to which the territorial opposition to the rise of titular "national front" move- nationalism of the majority group is perceived as a ments. Nontitular groups and indigenous minorities threat to the future viability of the indigenous minor- have also boycotted referendums and elections. This ity: s Conflict finally did erupt in December 1994. . Sovereignty declarations resulting in conflict escala- * The new Russian Constitution did represent a loss of autonomy for the non-Russian imdigenous minorities. tion include: Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the Trans-Dniestrian Republic, and the Gagauz Republic in Moldova. 67
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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.