A Clash of Civilizations Today - Essay Example

IS THERE A CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS? by of the of the Introduction With the end of Cold War era, conflicts between different civilizations to dominate the world have put the global peace and stability in the great danger. It is the main thesis of Samuel Huntington’s most popular and best-selling book, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order (Huntington 1997) and article, ‘The Clash of Civilization?’ (Huntington 1993). Recent terror attacks such as, the 9/11 attacks, Mumbai 26/11 attacks, bomb-blasts in London, Madrid, and Bali and ongoing political conflicts between the United States and Arab world, Russia and western powers, India and China have strengthen the claim of Samuel Huntington about a clash of civilizations in today’s world (Neumayer & Plümper 2009, p. 712). On the basis of scholarly research and available data, the paper will prove the existence of clash of civilizations in today’s world. In order to prove the thesis, the paper will analyze the Huntington’s theory of clash of civilizations. Also, by analyzing the religious and political aspects, paper will show that the catastrophe of civilization conflicts is mainly based on the political factors like, the US’ excessive dominance, emerging multipolar power system and religious factors like, Islamic radicalism, Islamophobia etc. Huntington’s Clash of Civilizations Theory Samuel Huntington’s book, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, triggered widespread debate in the field of political and public affairs. Also, the Huntington’s article about the clash of civilizations, which was written in 1993 in Foreign Affairs, raised massive controversy than any other article that was published in Foreign Affairs since the 1950s (Chiozza 2002, p. 711). Consequently, Samuel Huntington is considered as the most critical and thought-provoking author in the field of global affairs in last few decades (Chiozza 2002, p. 712). According to the Huntington’s point of view, interstate relationships in the post-Cold War era will be mainly influenced by the factors of civilizations. As the nation remains the main actor on a global level, its interests, behaviour, and integrity will be based on its civilizational background (Huntington 1993). In other words, potential corporations and conflicts will exist within civilizations is the major speculation of Huntington about the future of global politics. Huntington claimed that in the new world, the most lethal, dangerous, and extensive conflicts won’t be between economic or social classes, but between people from different cultural backgrounds. According to the Huntington’s definition of civilization, it is the highest groping and identity of people that distinguish individual from one another on the basis of cultural background. It is further characterized on the basis of cultural factors such as, religion, history, language, institutions, customs, and social background (Huntington 1993). In a way, Huntington’s clash of civilizations theory is far different than the theories based on ethnic and nationalism arguments. Unlike such arguments, clash of civilization concept claims that the loyalties of people in today’s world are shifting from mere national, religious, or ethnic factors to the wider level of civilization backgrounds that transcend state boundaries (Chiozza 2002, p. 713). According to Huntington, today’s world is divided into eight major civilizations, namely, Western, Islamic, Latin America, Hindu, Confucian, Slavic-orthodox, Japanese, and African (Huntington 1993). Ideological, political, and religious confrontations in the world are actually based on the civilization factor at a micro level. Besides, the most crucial aspect of the theory is that it categorizes various non-western civilizations differently rather than collectively characterizing them which is important in order to evaluate the existence of clash of civilizations in today’s world (Graham 2004). A Link between Multipolar Power System and Clash of Civilizations There is a strong link between the multipolar power system and clash of civilizations on a global level. Before A.D. 1500, most of the interactions between different civilizations were almost nonexistent and sporadic (Huntington 1997, p. 21). However, with the advancement in communication and transportation, the interactions and consequently, conflicts between different civilizations grew stedily. Over last 400 years, the western civilization, which was constituted by multipolar global powers such as, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Prussia, Austria, and Spain, competed, interacted, and fought the wars to dominate and colonize other civilizations in the world (Huntington 1997, p. 21). However, after the WWII, the world politics became bipolar with the domination of the Soviet Union and the United States. The conflicts in this era were mainly based on the political, economic, ideological interests, and often, on the military competition between states (Huntington 1997, p. 21-22). After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, unipolarity has come into existence as the United Sates is the only remaining superpower in the world. According to power structure analyzers, unipolarity is volatile and unstable because it always advances towards multipolarity as other emerging powers attempt to overthrow the dominance of one nation in global system. Though the superpower can curb such progress, at least for the short period, its dominance will eventually be lowered as a result of constantly emerging new powers (Lundestad & Jakobsen 2013). Weakening of unipolar system and emergence of new multipolar system is evident with the strong economic growth, advanced military power, and growing influence of countries like, Russia, China, and India in the international politics (Varisco 2013). As the world is progressing towards multipolar power system, it is expected that there will be intense competition among these nations to dominate the global system, triggering various conflicts and instability in the world. Moreover, ongoing conflicts of these nations with their neighboring states are possessing strong threat to global peace. For example, in context of strong rivalry between Japan and China, India and Pakistan, India and China, any tension in these regions is enough to trigger massive violent conflicts (Varisco 2013). Also, Russia, which is responsible for stable natural gas supply in Europe, has highly increased its military spending since 2007 (Varisco 2013). Increased gas prices by Russia have already raised tension between the Western countries and Russia. The competition between Russia and the US to control Central Asian petroleum reserves, the growth of Russian military power, dispute between the US and Russian over critical global issues such as, the identity of Kosovo, the Iranian nuclear deal, and Ukrainian crisis, have threaten the global peace and stability (Varisco 2013). Though such ongoing conflicts look like based on the political and economical interests, there is a hidden factor of cultural and ethnic identities that differ among these civilizations. Besides these major conflicts, the clash of civilizations is evident in example of the Yugoslav conflict and Kashmir issue (Huntington 1997, p. 28). In the Yugoslav conflict, Russian Federation provided diplomatic support to Serbia which is mainly dominated by Slavic people, and Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Libya, and Iran provided military and economic support to Bosnia and Herzegovina where majority of population is Muslim (Huntington 1997, p. 28-29). Also, cultural kinship is evident in the Kashmir issue as Islamic radical separatists in the region gets massive support from Pakistan and Afghanistan (Huntington 1997, p. 29). In a way, emerging multipolar global power system which is mainly based on the cultural factors is triggering clash of civilizations in today’s world. Western Civilization vs. Islamic Civilization After the discovery of “black gold” in the Persian Gulf in 1908, the region suddenly came into the focal point of international politics. In so called ‘resource war’, the great powers were competing with one another to dominate the Middle Eastern region and control its vast oil reserves. Due to lack of real challenges, the US enjoyed the status of most influencing power in the world. It allowed the US to interfere or involve in the global issues that often didn’t reflect the national interests, generating strong antipathy against the US among such states (Lundestad & Jakobsen 2013). Since the oil embargo of 1973, the US has maintained aggressive policies towards Middle-eastern countries in order to control vast oil reserves in the region. Under the quid pro quo deal, the US provides defense security to Middle-eastern states in return of oil (The New Rules of the Game 2012). For the purpose of marinating sovereignty and stability in Asia and Europe, the US has established many permanent military bases in these regions. Certainly, it has prevented the developing countries from participating in the arms race, but the US has to bear strong hatred of Islamic community as radical Islamic groups consider it as a western invasion in their territories (The New Rules of the Game 2012). Though the US constantly tried to develop peace between Islamic and Jewish communities in the Middle East, Islam was regularly presented in a negative manner in the US by the media and authorities, intensifying the present Islamic terrorist organizations’ activities. According to the US-Saudi relationship expert, Frank Nenkovich, since the early 21st century, the US changed its old foreign policies and adopted aggressive policies that encourage Americanization of the most of the developing regions such as the eastern Asia and the Middle- East (Brotka 2014, p. 10). Americanization is described as the actions of the US authorities and media to enforce own social, cultural, economical, and political principles on other countries. Possessed with the extreme nationalism, the US policymakers expected the world to follow the American virtues as a set guideline. These attempts led to the 9/11 attacks on the US by the Islamic terrorist organization in protest of the US policies towards the Arab world. Surprisingly, 11 out of 19 terrorists in the operation of 9/11 were from Saudi Arabia which was considered to be the most closely allied Gulf country with the United States (Billon & Khatib 2003, p. 11-12). Janece Terry, an author of US Foreign Policy in the Middle East, highly criticized the western approach towards Islamic world (Brotka 2014, p. 13). Terry claimed that the US media and leading authorities consistently promoted the stereotypes about Islam, Palestine, and Arab world, while showing strong support to Israel and its attacks on Palestinian region. Terry condemned the approach of the US policymakers to judge the foreign societies and cultures and their issues on the basis of American virtues as it fuels the Islamic radicalism against western civilization (Brotka 2014, p. 13-14). The primary objective of Islamic terrorist organizations such as, Al Qaeda is to establish Islamic regulation in the world and diminish the Western influence in the Islamic territories (Terrorism 2013). After the invasion of the US and Western forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda is motivated to execute terror attacks against the Western world, especially the United States, in the name of Jihad, i.e., a spiritual fight against non-Muslims to protect Islamic integrity and influence in the world (Terrorism 2013). Islamic countries like, Iran and Saudi Arabia are openly funding and supporting such terrorist organizations. According to the reports of the US Department of the Treasury, Iran is one of the leading sponsors of Islamic terrorist organizations in the world. It supplies, funds, and trains Islamic terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamans which are responsible for many major terror attacks in the western countries (Biddle 2014). Also, the present conflicts in the Iraq and Syria and intervention of the US and its European allies have further intensified clashes between the Islamic and western world (Kiley 2014). Islamic Civilization vs. Hindu Civilization As the majority of Hindu population is resident of India, it is considered as a core of Hindu civilization. Current conflict between India and Pakistan is the great example of clashes between the Hindu and Islamic civilization. Both the countries have long history of wars with each other on the territory issue which is mostly fuelled by religious and cultural differences. India is fighting against Islamic terrorism over 40 years (India terrorism by the numbers 2008). According to the reports of the Global Terrorism Database (GTD), over 4200 Islamic terrorist attacks have been reported in India since the late 1970s, killing an average of almost 400 people per year (India terrorism by the numbers 2008). In recent, relation between Pakistan and India has become more critical with ongoing cross-border firing across the northern borders. In response to the violation of border acts and heavy firing by Pakistani military, the Indian government cancelled all future peace talks and any kind of cooperation till all cross-border firings are not ceased (Jayasekera 2014). According to the political experts, aggressive policies of the new Indian government about Kashmir issue has further complicated relations between two countries, triggering increased terrorist activities of extreme Islamic groups in the region (Jayasekera 2014). Hindu Civilization vs. Confucian Civilization India and China doesn’t possess good relationship as both the countries have history of massive war with each other. Territory dispute is the major cause of conflict between two countries. The conflict has a cultural touch as the disputed territory is claimed by China on the basis of ethnic factor. According to experts, the nuclear war between two Asian powers seems unlikely, however, sudden occupation of Indian territory by China can’t be ruled out. The speculation is further strengthened with the China’s strategic attack on the Indian forces in the northern-Himalayan border on October 20, 2014 (Kondapalli 2012). As both the countries are in strong competition to emerge as a potential Asian power, the growing US-Indian relationship with mutual economic and military cooperation is also another factor that has raised anxiety among Chinese leaders (Kondapalli 2012). India has adopted tough foreign policies towards China in response to China’s military provocation. The Indian government has given clear message that though it is ready for peace talks, it will not compromise with its honour for it. Both the countries have started to build advance infrastructure in the border regions. According to the official reports, the clashes between both the Indian and Chinese militaries at the Himalayan border have rapidly increased in the last two months, triggering potential serious conflict between these two civilizations (Fairclough 2014). Western Civilization vs. Slavic-orthodox Civilization Russia is the core of Slavic-orthodox civilization. The conflicts between the western world, especially the United States and Russia have a long history. Recently, the relationship between the western countries and Russia has damaged over various political and economic issues, including Central Asian policies of Russia, Ukraine crisis, Latvia issue, and disputes between western world and Russia over solutions of these issues. The involvement of Russia in Central Asia rapidly increased with the beginning of Putin administration in early 2000s, considering the growing threat of China and the United States and necessity of maintaining influence in resource-rich Central Asia. Also, Russia, which is responsible for stable natural gas supply in Europe, has highly increased its military spending since 2007 (Varisco 2013). The ongoing conflicts in the Pro-western and pro-Slavic groups in Ukraine and Latvia over separation have clearly showed that current global conflicts are highly influenced by culture and ethnic factors. It is difficult to separate the regions by ignoring culture factor. The crises in these countries have further intensified hatred about western culture among local people (Merry 2014). Moreover, the increased gas prices by Russia have already raised tension between the Western countries and Russia. The competition between Russia and the US to control Central Asian petroleum reserves, the growth of Russian military power, dispute between the US and Russian over critical global issues such as, the identity of Kosovo, the Iranian nuclear deal, and Ukrainian crisis, have intensified the clashes between western and Slavic-orthodox civilizations (Varisco 2013). A Clash of Civilizations: Today’s Reality Though many studies have denied the existence of clash of civilizations, various official reports, ongoing global conflicts, and available data reflect another fact. Besides major conflicts, the clash of civilizations in today’s world can be identified by general opinions and existing stereotypes about different cultures in every civilization. Various research and surveys have identified Islamophobia that is immense fear, hostility, and hatred toward Muslims and Islam among non-Islamic civilizations. According to the gallup’s survey in 2011, over 60% of people in the United States and European countries agreed the fact that somehow they don’t respect Islamic culture and societies (Islamophobia 2014). Besides in Islamic world, Anti-western feelings are becoming stronger in Slavic-orthodox civilization in recent years. According to recent conducted poll in Eastern European region showed that hardly 20% of people in the region are in favour of the US and western world, while over 75% people hold strong negative opinions about the western countries and their approach towards eastern European issues (Quinn 2014). Also, according to the recent poll of BBC World Service that explored the views of people about different countries showed that most of the opinions of people about different countries were based on the culture factor (Global poll 2007). According to the poll, over 80% of western people possess negative opinions about Iran, while the negative opinions about the United States and other western countries are the most among Islamic countries (Global poll 2007). The negative opinions about China are increased from 40% to 60% in Indian society in recent years (Global poll 2007). Also, almost 68% negative opinions about China are reported among the US citizens (Global poll 2007). Over 60% Chinese community possess negative opinions about India (Global poll 2007). In a way, the negative and positive opinions of people are largely influenced by cultural factors. Conclusion In conclusion, though it seems like today’s global conflicts are based on political, economic, religious, or territory disputes, they are mainly influenced by cultural factors that have distinguished major civilizations from each other. The issue of Islamic terrorism in western world, ongoing crises in Ukraine, clashes in India-Pakistan and India-China, rivalry between the United States and Russia are some of the major examples of clash of civilizations in today’s world. Negative opinions and strong stereotypes about different civilization among people possess significant threat to peace and stability in society. In order to maintain global peace and security, it is necessary for the international organizations like, the United Nations to come forward and implement effective policies and programs to lower the clashes between civilizations and promote harmony and equality among various civilizations in today’s world. 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