Clash of Civilizations essays

Clash of Civilizations essays 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, Confusion, Japanese, Islamic, Hindu, Slavic-Orthodox, Latin American, and possibly African civilization. Huntington believes that the differences between civilizations are real, basic and the product of centuries unlikely to wane in the near future. The interactions between different civilizations are increasing and Huntington believes this must increase civilization consciousness and alertness of differences between civilizations. Huntington believes that these increased interactions enliven dissimilarities and animosities prevalent from distant history. He fails however to consider the possibility that these increased interactions, and enhanced civilization awareness may actually help to d...

How to transform your teams communication skills

How to transform your teams communication skills A catalogue for transforming communication skills Writing is one of those work activities that we just assume we can do. So much so that its not even something we tend to give much thought to. Yet in the last decade or two, its silently taken over our working lives. Email alone accounts for a staggering four hours of an average workers day, according to a recent survey by Adobe of more than 4,000 workers across Europe and the US. And thats before theyve even begun to include bids, slide decks, reports, letters, procedures or policies. But how many of those communications engage their audience and get results? And how many damage relationships that then take months to repair (if they ever are)? It only takes a moments thought to realise that few skills are more important today than the ability to communicate well. We’re here to help You may know us from our regular business-writing tips and blog posts. You might have already been on an Emphasis business-writing course, either as an individual or with your company. Or maybe you’ve downloaded a copy of The Write Stuff: our free, comprehensive guide to business writing. However, you might not be aware of the full range of training services we offer that can bridge this critical skill gap. This includes our unique, pre-course writing analysis, which shines a spotlight on the documents you or your team produce, and reveals which areas are the priorities to improve. We have just the course for you To help you, we’ve created an interactive PDF guide to our services, which includes not just business writing but also communication skills courses. For example, we have created a new and innovative presentation skills course, The reluctant presenter. Its aimed at people who have a deep fear of presenting, and is delivered by trainers who have overcome their own fears and can share their secrets. We’ve also developed the worlds most comprehensive online business-writing course, called Emphasis 360. To learn more about any of our programmes, and how they can help transform your teams (or your own) communication skills, download a copy of our course catalogue now. You can also call us on +44 (0)1273 732 888 for a chat with one of our friendly team. Image credit: Rawpixel.com / Shutterstock