![](https://cdn.carnegiecouncil.org/media/people/_400x400_crop_center-center_none_ns/John-Erskine-headshot.jpg?v=1721334363)
John Erskine is an aviation officer in the U.S. Army, with a focus on geospatial information sciences. He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and has professional experience interning in congressional offices and the intelligence community.
Featured Work
![On this anti-Communist map, the dark red of the USSR fills the space, while the U.S. is barely visible over the horizon. Time Magazine. Source: Cornell University – <a href="https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/ss:3293969">PJ Mode Collection of Persuasive Cartography</a>](https://cdn.carnegiecouncil.org/media/cceia/_1000x650_crop_center-center_none_ns/Two-Worlds.jpg?v=1721237723)
JUL 11, 2018 • Article
Politics and Cartography: The Power of Deception through Distortion
"Cartography is a powerful instrument of national policy, one that governments can use to influence peoples' beliefs and affect international affairs. With the simple stroke ...