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By Ingrida Karins Berzins (MALD '00)
Forum Editor in Chief Brian Jackson (MALD '00) introduced Professor Henrikson's remarks by explaining that Henrikson had suggested the topic for this edition of the journal: "Geography and the Boundaries of Confidence." The journal includes articles by such well-known authors as Mark Duffield, Fletcher Professor Alfred P. Rubin, and Fletcher alumna and German diplomat Anka Feldhusen and is available by subscription or individual sale from the Forum staff. Henrikson, one of the Forum's faculty advisors since the journal's founding in 1975, said that this topic is gaining currency around the world. "The subject of geography is now being discovered after years of neglect," he said. "It's almost 'hot,' really." He added that this latest edition of the Fletcher Forum of World Affairs had already had an effect on national policy-making: William Wood, the chief geographer at the State Department and one of the journal's contributors, consulted an article by fellow contributor Gilbert Khadiagala while working on a policy assignment on Eritrea. Henrikson's talk, entitled "Facing Across Borders: the Diplomacy of Bon Voisinage," was based on an article forthcoming in the April 2000 issue of the International Political Science Review. The article argues that relations across national boundaries are critical to the success of relationships between governments and countries as a whole. "This is not to say that peace along boundaries suffices," Henrikson said, "But without better boundary relationships, there cannot be peace. It's a partial sufficient condition." In order for transfrontier diplomacy to improve relations between central governments, Henrikson said that three conditions must be met. First, the two countries must "face" each other--they must pay attention to each other and engage each other. "We tend to think of countries as personalities, facing a certain direction" and turning their backs on others, he said. One example of this is the United States-Russia relationship, which prior to World War II had been of far lesser importance than afterward, because other countries formerly in Russia's sights shrank in geopolitical significance. Another example is the India-Pakistan relationship, in which border disputes are of such critical importance because the two countries pay such close attention to each other. A second condition is social cohesion within a country--the central government must have an interest in what's going on at the borders and the means to obtain information about it. If the central government doesn't know what's happening in the country's periphery, there's little opportunity for transfrontier diplomacy to take root. "Most international relations are conducted by truck," Henrikson said, citing the fact that physical transportation and communication are a key component of what goes on in a border area. If this information isn't relayed to the capitals, the opportunities for developing this aspect of the relationship are lost. A third and final condition is that the transborder relationship "must be locked in by bilateral agreements and regional frameworks." In Europe, for example, there are many such agreements, such as those of the Council of Europe and the Stability Pact. He said that these treaties formalize the century-old concept of "bon voisinage," or good neighborly relations. If these conditions are met, Henrikson said, then "relations across boundaries can improve relations between whole societies." This concept is particularly relevant in the post-Cold war world because of the large number of new states and the growing importance of peoples--such as the Kurds--whose ethnic group is not contained by current international boundaries. Henrikson said that it is possible to diagnose dysfunction within a country if the center has no relationship with its periphery. He then elicited chuckles from the audience by admitting, "this is really touchy-feely stuff." Henrikson concluded by saying that the idea of trans-frontier diplomacy is ripe for further development and practical application. To purchase a copy or get more information about the Fletcher Forum of World Affairs, please send a message to Brian Jackson at brian.jackson1@att.net. The deadline for submissions to the Fall 2000 issue is January 15, 2000. Comments? Write us at letter@fletcherledger.com |
