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...