With my daughter’s encouragement, I’ve taken an interest in geography. While not exactly an isolationist, I’ve often thought that America trying to impose its will on foreign nations is generally wrong-headed. Still, when I read histories of the early United States, it appears that the desire to own and organize everything from Atlantic to Pacific makes sense to a particular outlook. Taking the land from its rightful owners was clearly wrong. It seems that wherever there are borders people fight. I’ve been quizzing myself on geography and I’m getting fairly decent at identifying countries (not all of them, and not always correctly). Doing so has led to some learning opportunities. Africa was, of course, heavily colonized even into my own lifetime. Only recently have we begun to realize that people should have the right to independence—sounds familiar, right America?
There are lots of quiz games available on the internet that help making these identifications fun. I’ve learned that the newest country recognized is South Sudan, in Africa. It became independent just twelve years ago, breaking away from Sudan. South Sudan is one of the least developed nations in the world—I suspect that some of these conditions contributed to the desire for independence. Another thing that becomes evident in learning geography is just how much disputed territory there is. Thousands, probably millions, of lives are lost over border disputes. This seems like such a testosterone-driven form of politics that patriarchy ought to be thoroughly ashamed of itself. The United States still plays these games as well, backing our favorites, despite the will of the people.
One nation that consistently shows up in these quizzes is Western Sahara. Apparently this is still a disputed territory, colonized by Spain but released from its control in 1975. Immediately fighting broke out between Morocco and Mauritania, its neighbors. Both wanted control of the region. The territory is one of the most sparsely populated in the world, being mostly Sahara, but even so it’s worth fighting over, in the strange geography of the human psyche. I often ponder our apparently insatiable urge to fight and control. As if we can really control anything. All it takes is a thunderstorm to park over an area for four hours and any house will begin to feel the damage. Nobody’s really in control, as you’d think events in Russia might underscore. It seems unbelievable to me that a world so connected—entangled even—with the internet would still insist on disputing who owns this rock or that. Just think how much we could accomplish if we’d even allow for a little leeway in our geography.
Steve A. Wiggins 