 Hello, I'm Todd Bacostao. I'd like to introduce you to our course, Intelligent Analysis, Cultural Geography and Homeland Security. Cultural geography is an essential feature of geopolitics. By geopolitics, I mean any power struggle over a territory. Crisis in the Balkans. In the context of this course, the power struggle in the former Yugoslavia during the 1990s is particularly relevant. GIS data provided the precise location of cultural groups within the topography of the area, which was essential in determining political boundaries that could be agreed upon by all. This is about one of the applications of cultural geography and geographic reasoning that we will be covering in this course. Geographic reasoning is a particularly powerful tool for intelligence analysis and includes not only the influence of natural resources and the balance of power, but also cultural forces that are present. Geography and history are inseparable and indispensable when considering a strategic situation and preparing either a political or military operation. My goal is to help you appreciate the influence of geography and culture in the politics and struggles we all face. Please join me in the class.