SAMUEL P. HUNGTINTON

THE CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONSAND THE REMARKING OF WORLD ORDER

GROUP MEMBER

LEE LIP HUAH 111583

NG CHEE KEANG 112605

WONG KENG WEN 113643

I. THE NEXT PATTERN OF CONFLICTII. THE NATURE OF CIVILIZATIONSIII. WHY CIVILIZATIONS WILL CLASHIV. THE FAULT LINES BETWEEN CIVILIZATIONSV. CIVILIZATION RALLYINGVI. THE WEST VERSUS THE RESTVII. THE TORN COUNTRIESVIII. THE CONFUCIAN-ISLAMIC CONNECTIONIX. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE WEST

OVERVIEW

Hypothetically, Huntington believes that “the

fundamental source of conflict in this new world will

not be primarily ideological or primarily economic.

The great division among humankind and dominating

source of conflict will be cultural…The fault lines

between civilizations will be the battle lines of the

future”

The clash of Civilizations according to S.Huntington (1996), as presented in the book.

Civilizations and History

In this view, contemporary civilizations represent theproduct of a long process of ‘identity formation’

It is the incompatibility between these core values thatwill produce inevitable conflict between differentcivilizations

While from a contemporary perspective this may seemlike a new phenomenon, it is actually a reversion to aprevious period of history

Read in this fashion, the “clash of civilizations”represents the closing of a parenthesis in worldhistory.

CLASH OF CIVILIZATION

DEFINATION

- People’s cultural and religious identities will bethe primary source of conflict in the post-cold warworld.

The Next Pattern of Conflict

In the Huntington hypothesis that thefundamental sources of conflict of in this newworld will not be primarily ideological or primarilyeconomic.

The great division among humankind and thedominating source of conflict will be cultural.

The principal conflict of global politics will occurbetween nation and group of civilization.

THE NATURE OF CIVILIZATION

According to the Huntington during the Cold Warwas divided into first, second, and third world, butthose division are no longer relevant.

A civilization is a culture entity. Villages, region,ethnic group, nationalities, religious group, allhave distinct cultures at different level of cultureheterogeneity.

WHY CIVILIZATION WILL CLASH

According to the Huntington the world willshaped in large measure by the interactions amongseven or eight major civilizations.

- western, Confucian, Japanese, Islamic, Hindu,Slavic-Orthodox, Latin American, and possiblyAfrican civilization.

Have six reasons:

First, differences among civilization are not only real.

-civilization are differentiated from each other byhistory, language, culture, tradition, and mostimportant, religion.

-They are far more fundamental that differencesamong political ideologies and political regimes.

-Differences do not necessarily mean conflict, andconflict does not necessarily mean violence. Over thecenturies, however, differences among civilizationshave generated the most prolonged and the mostviolent conflicts.

Conti…

Second, the world becoming smaller place.

-The interaction between peoples of differentcivilization are increasing. These increasinginteraction intensity civilization-consciousnessand awareness of differences between civilizationand commonalities within civilization.

In turn, invigorates differences and animositiesstretching or thought to stretch back deep intohistory.

Conti..

Third, the processes of economic modernizationand social change throughout the world areseparating people from longstanding localidentities.

- such movements are found in WesternChristianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism,as well as in Islam.

Forth, the growth of civilization-consciousness isenhanced by the dual role of the west.

-The west is at peak and power.

-At the same time, however and perhaps as a result, areturn to the roots phenomenon is occurring amongnon-Western civilization. Increasing one hearsreferences to trends toward a turning inward and“Asianization”, in Japan, the end of the Nehru legacy,and the “Hindunization” of India, the failure ofWestern idea of socialism and nationalism and hence“re-Islamization”, of the Middle East.

Firth, cultural characteristics and differences areless mutable and hence less easily compromisedand resolved that political and economic.

-In class and ideological conflict, key question was“which side are you on” but in conflict betweencivilization is “what are you”. That given thatcannot be changed.

Finally, economic regionalism is increasing.

The importance of regional economic blocs is liketo continue to increase in future.

The success of the North American Free TradeArea (NAFTA) depends on the convergence nowunderway of Mexican, Canadian, and Americancultures.

Successful economic regionalism will reinforcecivilization-consciousness.

The clash of civilization thus occur at two levelwhich is micro-level, and macro-level.

-micro-level, adjacent group along the fault linesbetween civilization struggle, often violently, overthe control of territory and each other.

-macro-level, states from different civilizationcompete for relative military and economic power,struggle over the control of internationalinstitution, and third parties, and competitivelypromote their particular political and religiousvalues.

The “kin-country syndrome”

Groups or states belonging to one civilization thatbecome involved in a war with people fromdifferent civilization naturally try to rally supportfrom others of their own civilization.

Examples , the Gulf War, the former Soviet Unionin the Caucasus, and Yugoslavia.

In the gulf war one Arab state invaded another andthe fought a coalition of Arab, western and otherstates.

The Islamist fundamentalist universally supportIraq than the western backed governemnet(kuwait and Saudi Arabia).

The kin-country syndrome also appeared in conflictsin the former soviet union.

Armenian military successes in 1992 and 1993stimulated turkey to become increasing supportive ofits religious, ethnic and linguistics brethren inAzerbaijan.

With respect to the fighting with former yogoslavia,the Irannian leaders urged muslims from all countriesto provide help to bosnia.

Iranian-supported Lebanese groups sent guerrillas totrain and organize the Bosnian forces.

As the conflicts in the Persian Gulf, the Caucasusand Bosnia continued, the positions of nations andthe cleavages between them increasingly werealong civilizational lines.

Greaterlinethicknessrepresentsmoreconflict in thecivilizationrelationship

The West versus the Rest?

The West Versus the rest is about “ the worldcommunity” and the “free world” , according toHuntington, a thin veneer for the domination ofglobal affairs by western interests.

The West sees its values as universalist (meaningthat they are applicable to everyone, irrespective ofcivilization). International institutions based onthese values are merely tools for maintaining andpromoting western values and domination.

The west is now at an extraordinary peak of power inrelation to other civilizations.

Decisions made at the U.N. Security Council or in theInternational Monetary Fund that reflect the interestsof the West are presented to the world as reflecting thedesires of the world community.

The west in effect is using international institutions,military power and economics resources to run theworld in that ways that will:

-Western predominant-Western interests-Western political and economics values

THE TORN COUNTRIES

TORN CONTRY- Some other countries have a fair

degree of cultural homogeneity but are divided over

whether their society belongs to one civilization or

another.

Their leaders typically wish to pursue a

bandwagoning strategy and to make their countries

members of west, but the history, culture, and

traditions of their countries are non-western.

THREE REQUIREMENT FOR A TORNCOUNTRY

Its political and economic elite has to be generally

supportive of and enthusiastic about this move.

Its public has to be willing to acquiesce in the

redefinition.

The dominant groups in the recipient civilization have

to be willing to embrace the convert.

Example Torn Country

Turkey at Europe are the most profoundly Torn

Country

Mexico at North American are the most immediate

Torn Country.

Why Russian so difficultly joining the West?

- Because the conflict between liberal democracy and

Marxism-Leninism was between ideologies which

like ultimate goal of freedom, equality and prosperity.

THE CONFUCIAN-ISLAMIC CONNECTION

The obstacles to non-western countries joining the

west is- their countries culture and power do not wish

to, or cannot, join the West compete with the west by

developing their own economic, military, and political

power.

The most prominent form of the cooperation is the

Confucian- Islamic connection that has emerged to

challenge Western interests, values , and power.

THE CONFUCIAN-ISLAMIC STATES VSWESTERN COUNTRIES

In the post-Cold War world the primary objective of

arms control to prevent the development by non-

Western societies of military capabilities that could

threaten Western interests.

The West attempts to do this through international

agreements, economic pressure, and controls on the

transfer of arms and weapon technologies.

But in this new form of arms competition, one side is

developing its arms and other side is attempting not to

balance but to limit and prevent that arms buildup.

The non-Western nation like China, North Korea andseveral Middle Eastern states, increase expanding theirmilitary capabilities

They acquire and to deploy whatever weapons they thinknecessary for their security.

Example: China in 1992, tested a one-megaton nucleardevice.

A Confucian-Islamic military connection has thus comeinto being, designed to promote acquisition by itsmembers of the weapons and weapons technology neededto counter the military power of the west.

Example: China has sold to Iran nuclear technology.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE WEST

The implication has been divided betweena) Short-term advantage

b) Long-term accommodation

a)Short-term advantage

- promote greater cooperation and unity withinits own civilization, particularly between itsEuropean and North American components

- to promote and maintain cooperative relationswith Russia and Japan.

- to prevent escalation to local inter-civilizationconflicts into major inter-civilization wars.

- to incorporate into West societies in EasternEurope and North American components .

- to limit the expansion of military strength ofConfucian and Islamic states

- to moderate the reduction of Western militarycapabilities and maintain military superiority inEast and Southwest Asia.

- To exploit differences and conflicts amongConfucian and Islamic states

- To support in other civilizations groupssympathetic to Western values and interests.

- To strengthen international institutions thatreflect and legitimate Western interests and values

- To promote the involvement of non-Westernstates in those institutions.

b) Long-term accommodation

- Western civilization is both Western andmodern. Non-Western civilization have attemptedto become modern without becoming Western.

- The West will increasingly have to accommodatethose non-Western modern civilization whosepower approaches that of the West but whosevalues and interests differ significantly from thoseof the West. This will require the West to maintainthe economic and military power necessary toprotect its interests in relation to these civilization.

Critiques of Clash of Civilizations

Some events challenge it

Unclear how to distinguish civilizations

Globalization can lead to convergence and synthesis ofcultures

Not all cultures aspire to imperial power

Overstates West’s decline

Exaggerates Islam’s militancy

Major conflicts within civilizations

Economic cooperation across civilizations

Lack of democratic institutions is real problem in Islamicworld

GUESS WHO?

Clash of civilizations?

The attack was Osama bin Laden's attempt to draw the U.S. and the West into a full-fledged clash of civilizations with Islam.

Summary of Argument

Nation states will not disappear

Civilizations not coherent or conflict-free

But differences among civilizations real

Civilization-consciousness growing

Civilization conflict will be dominant global formof conflict

Major axis of relations between “West and Rest”

No universal civilization possible

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