FEATURE: The War is in the Mountains

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Helicopter landing in Colombia. The remote Andes nurtured a half-century civil war., 3 kbDespite just ten percent of the world's population residing in mountainous terrain, these areas harbour a disproportionate share of violence and conflict. Holding the high ground over plains, mountain people have inhabited these 'islands in the sky' and waged wars for thousands of years, from ancient Mesopotamian conflicts to current affairs in the Middle East, South America and beyond.

Natalie Berry met with US war correspondent and author of 'The War is in The Mountains', Judith Matloff, in New York City to discuss mountain conflicts and their often overlooked global implications.



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 climbEdclimb 03 May 2018
In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

Thoroughly worth reading and a thought provoking article. I now look forward to reading the book. 

 Damo 04 May 2018
In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

Very good, thanks UKC.

There have been some interesting intersections between war and climbers over the years. WW2 in the Alps is an obvious one, but Khampa guerillas (Tibetans living in Nepal) were trained by Americans to do cross-border raids into China in the 60s and 70s.

A few well-known US climbers (Jim Whittaker etc) were training the military in Alaska in the 60s, including on the south face of Denali, which was part of the eventual placement of the nuclear-powered devices on Nanda Devi and Nanda Kot.

Other US climbers, like Jay Smith and Mark Twight, have made good money training and guiding US Seal teams and others in recent times.

During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, trained climbers were used for operations in the Hindu Kush. The very successful Georgian mountaineer Ilias Tukhvatullin once had to climb up a mountain, to a crashed helicopter, to recover top secret documents.

 Dominic Green 04 May 2018
In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

Really great piece, thanks very much for this, great to have the climbing perspective broadened in this way. I remember talking to a guide from Chamonix not too long ago about the history of that valley. He was from one of the families who can trace their historical connection to the valley as far back as the records exist. His sense of connection with mountain people all over the world was very deeply felt, having travelled very widely in mountain areas. 

 Paz 04 May 2018

Great article - food for thought indeed.  Climbers don't routinely experience of war in the mountains, but there are stories of the mountaineers who filmed border guards opening fire on refugees fleeing into Nepal, and Tommy Caldwell's team getting kidnapped by rebels at gunpoint after topping out.  It's good to know more about the wider context and history behind these and other stories.

 FreshSlate 06 May 2018
In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

I'm a little confused by this article. I thought it was going to convince me that mountains are proportionately more often the site of military conflict judging by the preample and picture of a helicopter but it was more of a general cultural differences piece and a attempt to demistify 'mountain people'.

I just wondered what war and violence had to do with climbing, and apparently the answer is very little which I'm pretty happy with!

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 TobyA 06 May 2018
In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

I need to read the article carefully, but just looking down at the photos, the last one is entitled "An Arctic white-out on a Norwegian glacier." I would suggest the view suggests its not a white out and the trees suggest its not a glacier!

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 Matt Podd 07 May 2018
In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

Many of the Via Ferratta in the Dolomites, are the legacy of 1st WW conflicts.

 TobyA 07 May 2018
In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

Has anyone read the book? From reading the article I didn't really get whether there is a thesis being proposed and investigated or, as the subtitle suggests, it's more just a series of dispatches? It's an interesting idea but I couldn't really see what was in common between the different conflicts that are being discussed.

In reply to TobyA:

The book is written as a series of journalistic dispatches from the areas with historical and cultural context woven into the stories of the people Judith meets. Her meeting with the World Mountain People Association gave her some themes to investigate, but having a 'thesis' of some sort outside of what the mountain people themselves had shared with her was something Judith chose to avoid - she 'didn't want to be a chauvinist' as she says in the interview, impressing her own opinions onto situations. 

The book is not just a flat recap of her travels; the reporting is personal and thoughtful. I'm currently reading Robert D. Kaplan's 'Revenge of Geography' and although it's obviously an important and informative read, it hasn't grabbed me in the same way that Judith's did. They are completely different genres of writing.

'Prisoners of Geography' by Tim Marshall was also read and enjoyed as research for the piece. Not too much about mountains but along similar lines to Kaplan in that it's more historical/factual and not journalistic (but enjoyable and a lighter read than Kaplan!)

Post edited at 19:14
 TobyA 08 May 2018
In reply to Natalie Berry - UKC:

I read some Kaplan back when I was starting my PhD, I can't imagine his IR work is very interesting for non academics, although I know nothing of the newest book! I do like that you got orientalism into the article a couple of times, I'm slightly surprised it hasn't "triggered" a few regular debaters on these forums, but perhaps it's slightly too obscure a concept for that! I'm tempted to read the book now just because it has something about Lyngen in it! One of my favourite places.

 Trangia 08 May 2018
In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

Bill Tilman's book "When Men and Mountains Meet" is a fascinating account of his experiences fighting behind enemy lines during WW2 as a British Liaison Officer, having been parachuted in or infiltrated by submarine, with Partisans in the mountains of Yugoslavia, Albania and Northern Italy, In the final stages of the Italian campaign he was with Partisans in the Dolomites where between blowing up bridges or ambushing German motor convoys, he even found time to climb some of the mountains for fun!.

In reply to TobyA:

I didn't really have any excuse not to mention it, having studied Edward Said's 'Orientalism' in a German course! I stupidly gave the book away afterwards and I regret that now. 

 steveg 13 May 2018
In reply to Matt Podd:

> Many of the Via Ferratta in the Dolomites, are the legacy of 1st WW conflicts.

I climbed a couple of VF in the Falzareggo Pass last summer. A beautiful area but even on a glorious June day with flowers and snow covering the high plateau there was a strange feeling I couldn't understand.  Only later did I find that this was literally the front line during WW1 and read "White War" by Mark Thompson.

This is a thorough examination of a less well known conflict and a very moving read.  With the Dolomites as a natural barrier between Austro-Hungary and Italy, it makes sense that the mountains would be the scene where much of the fighting went on.

 


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