Clash of Civilizations
The Clash of Civilizations, a theme whose very title connotes ambiguity and controversy. Samuel P. Huntington describes a civilization as "the broadest level of cultural identity people have short of that which distinguishes humans from other species." This definition alone has been the subject of much debate as Huntington seems to perceive the nature of civilizations as somewhat stagnant and does not sufficiently address all the internal complexities they entail. The splintered structure of civilizations and main world religions and the existence of minorities belonging to more than one civilization are not adequately accounted for.Primarily Huntington hypothesizes that world politics is entering a new phase where the foremost basis of conflict will not be ideological or economic but rather cultural. Civilizations will clash and the "fault lines" which divide these civilizations will become the front lines of the future. Huntington sees that since the end of Cold War the dominant focus of international politics has become the relations of the West and non Western civilizations.Huntington identifies seven or eight major civilizations whose interactions will fundamentally plough the course of history. These include Western, Con
Huntington categorizes the clash of civilizations on two different levels. The establishment and continuation of mutually beneficial trade agreements between dissimilar cultures and healthy economic growth would surly surpass the requirement for cultural homogeneousness. Many of the band-wagoning states are torn between the will of the government and that of their people. Governments apply different standards for their kin-countries to those of other civilizations. Often as the situation escalates and more nations are drawn into the conflict certain governments will be forced to retract their cooperation and withdraw from coalitions as their involvement could induce regional isolation and have grave consequences on that nations future. He uses the example of immigration and consequent hostility but does not discuss the long term positive affects that will emerge as generations pass and the population becomes ever more diverse. Huntington's ardent determination to unite the West in ever greater solidarity would only further isolate the non-Western civilizations increasing inequality, animosity, and division. Huntington suggests that the end of the ideological divisions in Eastern Europe gave way to traditional ethnic discrimination and hostility. This process has been labeled "kin-country" syndrome and appears to be the new basis on which coalitions are formed. On one hand joining the West almost guarantees heightened prosperity and political strength, while on the other it requires, to an extent, the abandonment of traditional values, attitudes, and identities. Furthermore individuals are technically capable of converting religions and adopting or renouncing culture in which case it is in fact possible, by Huntington's requirements, for an individual to change the civilization they belong to. The second has been dubbed "band-wagoning" which basically involves adopting Western values and attitudes. Unable to marshal assistance on the basis of ideology anymore governments progressively depend on common religion and civilization identity to assemble coalitions. Greater emphasis seems to be placed on maintaining the West's global dominance rather than strengthening diplomatic relationships with non-Western civilizations and preventing future Macro-level wars.
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Acceptance Essays
