To what extent do you agree that clash of civilizations leads to destruction?
The Clash of Civilization
Essay Question: To what extent do you agree that clash of civilizations leads to destruction?
20071999
Outline
I Introduction
Thesis statement: Some people strongly believe that clash of civilizations leads humanity to destruction; however, lot of people think that clash of civilizations can bring the advantages to opposing sides.
II Body
- Firstly, clash of civilizations divides people from different cultures
- Muslims and Christians
2. Ideological clash
- Secondly, clash of civilizations stimulates terrorist activities in a both sides
- Radical Islam terrorism
2. State terror
- However, other people think that “war on terror” is a very profitable campaign for “crusaders”
1. Military spending
2. Mass-media
III Conclusion
In conclusion, there are many negative aspects created by clash of civilizations, but it also can gives good opportunities for the both sides.
The Clash of Civilization
Clash of the civilization is a theory proposed by Huntington (1993) that cultural and religious identity of people will major source of conflict in post-Cold War world. According to Huntington (1993) during the history wars were between monarchs, their armies they want to expand their lands and finally they created nation states. Starting with French Revolution where monarchy headed by Louis XVI was overthrown and it was beginning of the war between nations. There were many other revolutions, so 20th century began with World War I, and after Russian Revolution, and reaction for it conflict between nations was replaced by conflict of ideologies. This confrontation spread firstly among fascism, communism and liberal democracies, then after World War II between communism and West, those known in history like Cold War. During the Cold War this conflict was transformed to clash between two superpowers that defined their identity in terms of their ideologies. Nowadays there are many different civilizations, which are big players in international arena, like China, West, and Islam World countries and in the same time there are subdivisions in these blocks. For example, West is divided to European countries and North America; Islam had Turkic, Arab and Malay subdivisions. Huntington (1993) proclaims that the differences between civilizations are basic. History, culture, language, traditions and religion have become a major source of conflicts between representatives of different civilization. Also an economic factor is important, because of unfair distribution of resources and economic regionalism. World has became a smaller place, and in future it will be difficult to avoid such kind of interactions. Some people strongly believe that clash of civilizations leads humanity to destruction; however, lot of people think that clash of civilizations can bring the advantages to opposing sides.
Firstly, clash of civilization divides people of different cultures. There are many unsolved issues between Muslims and Christians. Today, as globalization increases power, and the geopolitical center is displaced to the east and, first of all, in Middle Eastern region, the problem of mutual relations of regional civilizations of the West and the Islamic world gets the extend urgency. It is confirmed with events of recent days. Revolutions in Tunis, Morocco, Egypt, Syria and Libya visually show not only instability of the given region, but also concentration of wars and attention of the international community (Steavenson, 2011). Huntington (1993) confidently and not unreasonably declares old enmity of regional civilizations of the West and the Islamic world. On its party history: the Arabian expansion VII-IX centuries, crusades and a gain Osman Turks of the Byzantine Empire confirm this thesis. From the historical point of view one of major factors in development of relations between the named civilizations is the religion. Islam and Christianity, according to Huntington (1993), too different to each other, and they can’t coordinate in the same way. According to Huntington (1993), the reasons of the renewed conflict lie in demographic, cultural and imperious spheres. Populations are growth in the Muslim countries and its increasing migrations to Europe and the USA and in same time radical Islam propaganda escalates national confidence in a power of their state. Also attempts of the West to impose all to the world, and Arabs in particular, West liberal "universal" values and disappearance of communistic camp as the general enemy for the West and Islam don’t add confidence in peace. All this dissimilarities can be a cause of a big conflict that will transform to the war. Today Islam took a form of fundamental Islam, and radical followers of Islam think that all means are legal and everybody is a potential target (Cogen, 2005). According to Cogen (2005) today Islam is reformatting, and the dissociating from other cultures can be the reason that fundamental Islam can manifest itself in any time and any place. This kind of radical behavior causes the terrorist activities among Islam followers. And it happens not because Islam is a dangerous religion, but the Western aggressive and resources oriented politics, so radicalism became a defensive way of behavior. There are many examples of bloody conflicts against Muslim and Christians; it’s Kosovo in former Yugoslavia where thousands of Bosnian Muslims and Serbs were killed during the conflict, genocide of Armenians in Turkey. So “As people define their identity in ethnic and religious terms, they are likely to see an "us" versus "them" relation existing between themselves and people of different ethnicity or religion” (Huntington, 1993, p.29). Clash of civilizations can be in form of ideological confrontation. The example is the Cold War period can be an example of division of people from different cultures. According to Huntington (1993) during Cold War the world divided into First, Second and Third World countries. First and the Second World countries were capitalist and communist regime countries and Third World counties were remaining countries. According to Waltz (n.d.) first and next post-war decades have become history as the period of Cold War, the period of the sharp Soviet-American opposition time and not at once push the world on a side of “hot war”. Cold War was a confrontation of Russian communist ideology and Western capital system. It is impossible to consider a situation of “cold war” as a situation unnatural, beyond normal historical development. Cold war - the natural stage of the Soviet-American relations generated in the conditions of post-war “sharing” of the world, aspiration to create “the zone of influence” on more as it is possible territory which represents economic and military interest (Waltz, n.d.). After the end of the Second World War countries of Western Europe and the USA had united against the USSR. Soviet Union, aspiring to secure itself, had created round the border some kind of the buffer, having surrounded itself with the countries in which upon termination of military operations the Prosoviet governments were generated. Thus the world was divided into two camps: capitalist and socialist. Both sides created so-called systems of collective safety - military blocks. After creation of the NATO and the Warsaw Pact in the world there was a bipolar system (Waltz, n.d.). As Toal (2001) proclaims United States already began the program of arms scale. Soviet Union also started it. Gradually it has poured out in race of arms between two superpowers. It was a dangerous time because the two super powers with thousands of nuclear bombs were the main enemies in their warfare doctrines (Toal, 2001). And it was guarantee of destruction of whole countries if they will reach open warfare. And consequence was the “Iron Curtain” between camps. Both superpowers start propaganda against each other. Also Cold War started many armed conflicts in Third World countries, called proxy wars, where Western block and USSR used third countries in substitution of direct conflict and establish their own regime. For example Vietnam War started in 1964 when USA supported South Vietnam and USSR supported North Vietnam, similar situation was in Korean peninsula in 1950. Clash between countries became a result of new way of thinking in minds of citizens of both camp, they became antagonist. The bright example is Berlin Wall, which was a symbol of separation of the World, in field of politics, and people minds. So the clash of civilization can be in form of cultural confrontation like a religious rivalry between Muslim and Christians. Similarly it can be in form of ideological grapple such in time of Cold War. And these forms of the clash of civilization are challenge for peace and progress of humanity, and leads to physical and moral destruction.
