...Clash Of civilisation The Clash of Civilizations (COC) is a hypothesis that people's cultural and religious identities will be the primary source of conflict in the post-Cold War world. It was proposed by political scientist Samuel P. Huntington in a 1992 lecture at the American Enterprise Institute, which was then developed in a 1993 Foreign Affairs article titled "The Clash of Civilizations? in response to his former student Francis Fukuyama's 1992 book, The End of History and the Last Man. Huntington later expanded his thesis in a 1996 book. Huntington began his thinking by surveying the diverse theories about the nature of global politics in the post-Cold War period. Some theorists and writers argued that human rights, liberal democracy, and capitalist free market economy had become the only remaining ideological alternative for nations in the post-Cold War world. Specifically, Francis Fukuyama argued that the world had reached the 'end of history' in a Hegelian sense. Huntington believed that while the age of ideology had ended, the world had only reverted to a normal state of affairs characterized by cultural conflict. In his thesis, he argued that the primary axis of conflict in the future will be along cultural and religious lines. As an extension, he posits that the concept of different civilizations, as the highest rank of cultural identity, will become increasingly useful in analyzing the potential for conflict. In the 1993 Foreign Affairs article, Huntington writes: ...
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...Clash of Civilizations In 1993 Samuel Huntington wrote an article titled “Is there a clash of civilizations”. The thesis was very much born in the context of the end of the cold war. The idea of “clash of civilizations” suggests that twenty-first century global order will be characterized by growing tension and conflict between rival cultures or civilizations, as opposed to the political, ideological or economic conflict of old. Huntington furthermore argued that the world was split into 9 different civilizational orders, and the West would clash with all of them, but in particular it would clash with the Islamic world, Japan and Russia. The realists have given little attention to the issue of identity or cultural politics. They focus on the behavior of states. However the liberals have recognized this thesis to some extent. Huntington’s view that the West would clash with the Islamic world was vindicated after the September 11th terrorist attacks, neoconservatives looking for a response distanced themselves from Huntington’s rhetoric. Neoconservative George W Bush was keen to emphasize that not all Muslims were to blame for 9/11, and indeed it was just a tiny minority of extremists holding the Islamic world back. Whereas Huntington had argued that the Islamic world was hostile to western ideas of liberal democracy, George W Bush ignored this insight and fought two wars to try and bring democracy to the Middle East, ignoring Huntington’s claim that there would be a backlash...
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...“Clash not Culture” Cultural differences in a post-Cold War era will not empirically lead to more frequent and violent conflicts between civilizations, regardless of their relationship or proximity to each other. As proven through history, conflict is inevitable and today theorists continue to debate where and why the next war will occur. Our world is a mist a diverging global society with non-state actors competing for new world order. Many states are suffering great turmoil, while others are gaining economic strength and power. Although the world has reached a point that we are poised for conflict, there has actually been a decline in conflict among civilizations. Among those that are geographically positioned for a border dispute, there has been no significant increase in conflict. Many would argue that clashes between western civilizations and non-western civilizations should be at the top of the list, but this has not been the case either. Conflict and war has occurred since the beginning of man and has been recorded right along religious strife. Conflict occurs for several basic reasons including: an attempt to increase a standard of living, to prevent a decrease in a standard of living, greed-more power and territory, religious idealism, and corrupt governments. When developing an analysis to determine the next confrontation, there are several points that must be considered: relative power of non-state ...
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...Amanda Pritchett Dr. Kenneth Currie ISS- 1200 3 September 2012 Clash of Civilizations “The West won the world not by the superiority of its ideas or values or religion, but rather by its superiority in utilizing organized violence. Westerners often dismiss this fact, non-Westerners never do.” Samuel P. Huntington, Eaton professor of the science of government and director of the John M. Olin Institute for strategic studies at Harvard, wrote a thought-provoking article; “The Clash of Civilizations” was published by Foreign Affairs in the summer of 1993. (Foreign Affairs). Huntington’s article given in nine topics, gives the reader a big-picture look at the world which nerved to imagine that a bi-polar rivalry between communism and capitalism was about to be reinstated by a multi-polar world of contradicting civilizations. He argues that the short-term warfare between ideologies is being replaced by the ancient warfare between civilizations. People’s cultural and religious identities will result in future conflicts. Huntington cautions that all this proposes that there will be cultural clangorings in the future. He says the troubling ones "are likely to arise from the interplay of Western arrogance, Islamic intolerance, and assertiveness." This is indeed a debated statement. Such clangoring’s are by no means an evident necessity, after all. Neither is it at all apparent that in the lack of such exterior issues, Western society would not have very uncompromising internal complications...
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...(a) What are the eight major civilizations that Huntington presents in his argument? Is this an appropriate or accurate categorization/qualification of "civilizations?" Why or why not? (b) What are the five civilizational traits that Huntington presents in this article? What is one trait/aspect that he may have overlooked? Why was this potential "trait" not included among Huntington's original five? (c) In what three ways may non-Western civilizations potentially "respond" to the powers and values of Western civilization? Please choose two responses and provide and briefly describe/explain One specific real-world example depicting each of the two selected "responses." (d) In Huntington's view, why will civilizations clash? Please discuss in detail the six reasons Huntington uses to explain why a clash of civilizations is seemingly inevitable. (e) Do you agree with Huntington's argument as to why civilizations will clash? Why or why not? Provide at least ONE specific real-world example to support your answer. (HINT: In answering "why or why not," please consider whether Huntington overlooked and thus forget to add an important "reason" or whether he should omit/take-out one of his "reasons." Yao Jingjing Globalization and International Affairs October 9, 2012 Dr. Richardson Chapter 5 introduces a theory, “the clash of civilizations”, proposed by Samuel P. Huntington. According to this theory, “the fundamental source of conflict” after Cold war will be people’s cultural...
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...CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS Ms. Majabeen Khaled Hossain Program Director Institute of Hazrat Mohammad ( SAW) House no: 22, Road no: 27, Block K Banani, Dhaka 1213, Bangladesh Phone: +880 2 8816478, 8860206 Fax: +880 2 8812679 E-mail: ihmsaw@gmail.com Table Of Contents SL. No 1. 2 3 4 5 Topic Introduction Defining Civilization Islamic History Why a chash of civilizations Theories negating the existence of a threat Page No 3 5 5 6 9 6 Islamic Threat : Myth or Reality 10 7. Summary 15 8. Bibliography & Works Cited 15 Page 2 of 16 FANTASY OR INEVITABLE Civilization covers a wide variety of essential elements which are required to constitute a civilization with its development, refinement and improvement. The elements are not only available but exist in abundance within most of the regions around the world. Those only need to be searched or explored and benefits drawn to the utmost in order to gradually establish a civilization by using our body and mind bestowed by the Creator as the best of all the creations on earth. It takes time to attain any level of civilization in any country or region. It is a slow process which grows with the extent of time given to it and the amount of efforts made on it. There is hardly any standard parameter by which to judge the level or the measure of civilization attained except their standings as projected at the world stage in terms of progress and development. When a civilization develops in...
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...discussing Fukuyama's work is to confuse 'history' with 'events'. Fukuyama does not claim at any point that events will stop happening in the future. What he is claiming is that all that will happen in the future (even if totalitarianism returns) is that democracy will become more and more prevalent in the long term, although it may have 'temporary' setbacks (which may, of course, last for centuries). He believes that the European Union more accurately reflects what the world will look like at the end of history than the contemporary United States HUNGTINGTON’S FUTURE The Clash of Civilizations In 1993, Professor Huntington provoked great debate "The Clash of Civilizations?",. Its description of post–Cold War geopolitics contrasted with the influential End of History thesis advocated by Francis Fukuyama. Huntington expanded "The Clash of Civilizations?" to book length and published it as The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking...
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...United States emerged victorious from the bipolarity of the Cold War era, so came her establishment as the hegemonic state of the world. This triumph of western liberalism symbolized what Francis Fukuyama deemed “the end of history” - the end of conflicting ideologies among the states which would lead to a world of perpetual peace. Fukuyama’s thesis is based on the Renaissance and Reformation of Europe and the Enlightenment experienced by North America and Europe (Packer. 2012.) Essentially, he argues that the progression of human history as a struggle between ideologies ends after the Cold War era; that the entire world will come to accept liberal democracy as the most desirable world order. The major fault in his theory, of course, lies in the simple fact that the Renaissance, Reformation, and Enlightenment were largely experienced only by western civilizations and therefore do not necessarily carry much weight with other civilizations. This failure to appreciate the significance of differing ethnic and cultural identities and experiences of all states of the world explains the legitimacy of Samuel Huntington’s “clash of civilizations” theory. Whereas Fukuyama’s theory can...
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...THE CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS AND RADICALISM Dr. M. LAL GOEL Also known as Dr. Madan Lal Goel University of West Florida lgoel@uwf.edu Abstract. The notion of a clash of civilizations has gained notoriety since the terrorist attack on WTC on 9/11/2001. Professor Samuel P. Huntington has popularized the view that the coming global conflict will be among major civilizations, not among different political ideologies. He identifies eight major civilizations: the Western (Europe and North America), Slavic (Russia and Eastern Europe), Islamic, Confucian, Hindu, Japanese, Latin American, and the African. Of particular focus in the present paper is the threat to civilization from radical Islam. Three factors that foment radicalism are described: the Islamic theology of exclusiveness, the nostalgic memory of a Muslim empire that lasted nearly 1,000 years, and the consequences of oil boom in the Middle East. Population estimates for different civilizations are provided at the end. Introduction The theory of a clash of civilizations has been with us for some time. British historian Arnold Toynbee used the term in a series of lectures he delivered in 1953. The Middle East specialist Bernard Lewis wrote in 1990 that the Muslim rage against the West is “no less than a clash of civilizations” (Lewis, 1990, p 60). Samuel P. Huntington, a Harvard University political science professor, has given new currency to the notion of a clash of civilizations. His 1993 article in Foreign...
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...International Relations Theory The new edition of International Relations Theory: A critical introduction introduces students to the main theories in international relations. It explains and analyzes each theory, allowing students to understand and critically engage with the myths and assumptions behind each theory. Key features of this textbook include: • discussion of all of the main theories: realism and (neo)realism, idealism and (neo)idealism, liberalism, constructivism, postmodernism, gender, and globalization two new chapters on the “clash of civilizations” and Hardt and Negri’s Empire innovative use of narratives from films that students will be familiar with: Lord of the Flies, Independence Day, Wag the Dog, Fatal Attraction, The Truman Show, East is East, and Memento an accessible and exciting writing style which is well-illustrated with boxed key concepts and guides to further reading. • • • This breakthrough textbook has been designed to unravel the complexities of international relations theory in a way that allows students a clearer idea of how the theories work and the myths that are associated with them. Cynthia Weber is Professor of International Studies at the University of Lancaster. She is the author of several books and numerous articles in the field of international relations. International Relations Theory A critical introduction Second edition Cynthia Weber First published 2001 by Routledge Second edition published 2005 by Routledge...
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...Lecture 1: Introducing Culture and Globalization Globalization: the increasing interconnectedness of the world (interconnectivity) Culture: shared ways of understanding and doing things (conceptual lense) and is socially constructed, hence changeable Culture Core question of course: does increasing globalization lead to the spread of new global cultures (more cultural sameness) or to more cultural differences? Globalization increases cultural similarities and differences the four main characteristics of globalization ~ Cochrane and Pain 1. stretched social relations, 2. intensification of flows, 3. increasing interpenetration of cultures, 4. an development of global infrastructure Globalization is driven by modern science, capitalism, and industrialism The four power players in globalization (‘nation states’, ‘military’, ‘division of labour’, and ‘capitalism’) ~Giddens Two main forms of culture contact: hybridization and differentiation Globalization involves reflexivity, i.e. ‘old certainties’ disappear Reflexivity is the idea that both individuals and society are defined not just by themselves, but also in relation to each other. Therefore they must both continually redefine themselves in reaction to others and to new information Lecture 2: Is There a Global Culture? • • • Power relations: having the ‘right’ to define what things are (Giddes, lecture 1) ‘Us – them’ distinctions The power relations of four groups in society: Majorities and elites are dominant...
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...Introduction Globalization is an idea whose time has come. From obscure origins in French and American writings in the 1960s, the concept of globalization finds expression today in all the world’s major languages (cf. Modelski, 1972). Yet, it lacks precise definition. Indeed, globalization is in danger of becoming, if it has not already become, the cliché of our times: the big idea which encompasses everything from global financial markets to the Internet but which delivers little substantive insight into the contemporary human condition. Clichés, nevertheless, often capture elements of the lived experience of an epoch. In this respect, globalization reflects a widespread perception that the world is rapidly being moulded into a shared social space by economic and technological forces and that developments in one region of the world can have profound consequences for the life chances of individuals or communities on the other side of the globe. For many, globalization is also associated with a sense of political fatalism and chronic insecurity in that the sheer scale of contemporary social and economic change appears to outstrip the capacity of national governments or citizens to control, contest or resist that change. The limits to national politics, in other words, are forcefully suggested by globalization. Although the popular rhetoric of globalization may capture aspects of the contemporary zeitgeist, there is a burgeoning academic debate as to whether globalization, as an...
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............................................................................... 3 THE INFLUENCE OF U.S. CORPORATIONS ON LOCAL MORES ................................................................................................... 3 THE DOMINANCE OF THE AMERICAN MARKET .......................................................................................................................... 4 THE INTEGRATION OF CULTURES ............................................................................................................................................ 6 REAFFIRMATION OF LOCAL CULTURE ...................................................................................................................................... 6 A CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS?.................................................................................................................................................. 7 CULTURAL IMPACTS OF GLOBALIZATION ...................................................................................................................... 8 THE SPREAD OF THE AMERICAN POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC MODEL ......................................................................................... 8 CULTURAL IMPACT #1: NEW GLOBAL PROFESSIONS ................................................................................................................ 8 CULTURAL IMPACT...
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...In the U.S.-led “global war on terrorism,” al-Qa`ida and its militant affiliates have come to serve as both symbol and explanatory matrix for a range of disparate militant groups in the Middle East and beyond. Included among these are the Palestinian rejectionist factions and the Lebanese Hizballah, despite the fact that their roots, worldviews, and agendas are inimical to those of al-Qa`ida. This article argues that the scholarly and political effort to lump together diverse resistance groups into a homogenous “terrorist enemy,” ultimately symbolized by Osama Bin Laden, is part and parcel of neocolonial power politics whereby all “native” struggles against established power structures are placed beyond reason and dialogue. The authors contend that while the Palestinian rejectionist factions and the Lebanese Hizballah may be understood as local representations of the anticolonial “third worldist” movement, al-Qa`ida and its affiliates operate within a “neo–third worldist” framework, a dichotomy that entails tactical and strategic differences, both political and military. The article draws on an extensive series of author interviews with leaders and cadres from Hizballah and the Palestinian factions. In response to al-Qa`ida’s 11 September 2001 attacks, the United States declared war not merely against those who had set upon it, but against an open-ended range of “terrorist organizations and those who harbor and support them.”1 Within two weeks of the attacks, U.S. President George...
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...also have the power to hinder development of countries as shown in the Global South, but at the same time they provide many jobs for the economy. For state actors, the actions and decisions of states can effect profoundly the international because of polarity, hegemony, and economy. The Liberalist view would see non-state actors as a positive because they are bringing countries allowing them to work together through institutions increasing interdependence and globalization. Realists would say that these non-state actors are only out for self interest in profit and will use up resources taking advantage of wages whenever possible. Constructivist view would see terrorist groups specifically as falling under Samuel Huntington’s Clash of Civilizations because it is a conflict of ideas. Realist view of state actors is they act in self interest anything to benefit them. Liberalist view is they want to cooperate with each other in order to work together to improve relations and trade. 2. As an incoming President-Elect of the United States of America, what would your major concerns be in the South Asian subcontinent? Discuss...
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