The Clash of Civilizations

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The Clash of Civilizations Future of Humanity

• Prof. Dr. Anis Ahmad

Dr. Anis is meritorious professor and presently
Vice Chancellor, Riphah International University,
Islamabad. He is also Vice-Chairman, Institute of
Policy Studies and Editor Quarterly Journal West
Islam, Islamabad. He can be contacted at
anis_at_riphah.edu.pk anis_at_anisahmad.com
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1. Introduction

• 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
  culturalThe fault lines between civilizations
  will be the battle lines of the future
• Samuel Huntington, The clash of civilizations,
  Foreign Affairs, Vol 72 No 3. 1993, P 186-194.

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2. Why a Clash or Conflict

• Differences among civilizations an basic
  (History, language, traditions, religion).
• World is becoming a smaller place, with
  civilizational consciousness leading to
  animosity.
• The process of economic modernization and social
  change is causing separation and division among
  people.
• Efforts are made to un-secularize the world
  through a revival of religion in middle class
  youth.
• Asianization in Japan, Malaysia, Singapore is
  followed by Islamization in some muslim countries.

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• In some non-Western countries de-westernization
  is taking place while in some countries American
  culture is also popularised.
• Cultural differences are hard to compromise
• Religion also divides people.
• Efforts by the West to promote its values of
  democracy and liberalism as universal values and
  its military dominance is going to have a
  reaction.

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• While ideological division of Europe has
  disappeared the cultural division between Western
  Christianity and Islam has re-emerged.
• The most prominent form of this co-operation is
  Confucian-Islamic connection, that has emerged to
  challenge Western interests, values and powers
• China is rapidly increasing its military spending
  with modernization of its armed forces. It is
  purchasing weapons from the former Soviet Union
  and is also a major exporter of arms and weapon
  technology..
• A Confucian-Islamic military connection has thus
  come into being to counter military power of the
  West.

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3. What to do

• In the short term it is clearly in the interest
  of the West to promote greater co-operation and
  unity within its own civilization particularly
  between its European and North American
  Componentsto limit the expansion of military
  strength of Confucian and Islamic states to
  exploit differences and conflicts among Confucian
  and Islamic States to support other
  civilizations, groups, sympathetic to Western
  values and interests

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4. Major Short Comings in Huntington Thesis

• The basic assumption of West as a monolithic
  unity is not historically supported.
• That civilization are exclusive and cannot
  co-exist is a historical fallacy.
• That West must dominate and prevail over
  Confucian-Islamic block speaks for a pure
  Capitalistic-Imperialistic thesis and mind set.

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• It provides theoretical basis for unipolarism.
• It does not allow multi-polarism, co-existence of
  civilizations and cultures.
• It confers, unilaterally, ultimacy to Western
  values of liberal Democracy and Capitalism and
  does not allow other value systems to exist.
• It also makes attempt to create rift between
  China and friendly Muslim nations.

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5. What is to be done

• Cultural Pluralism and dialogue to be promoted.
• Search for global universal values in neighboring
  civilizations.
• Unified strategy against hegemony and
  unilateralism of the imperial power of the U.S
• Ethical and Moral force against the military
  might of the so called West.

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• Thank You

Dated Feb, 2005