Is There a Clash of Civilizations - Essay Example

Is There A Clash of Civilizations? Name Course Code Instructor Institution of Affiliation Date Is There A Clash of Civilizations? Introduction Civilization refers to a form of social progress in which societies attain an advanced level of organization and development. Over the years, the universe has been characterized by various forms of civilization. The nature of the civilization that characterizes a particular region largely depends on its cultural practices, religion, as well as the nature of the challenges being encountered. Civilization is a major factor with regards to foreign policy. Foreign policy can be defined as the policies which governments put in place so to foster relationships between countries (Boyden, 2004). The form of foreign policies being employed by a particular government will be influenced with respect to the nature of allies and enemies that a country will have. Foreign policies are established on the basis of the national interests as well as the culture. The form of foreign policy being employed by a particular country will reflect the cultural practices and beliefs of its citizens. Various forms of conflict that have taken place in the past, mainly due to ideological differences. The most popular conflict of this nature is the Cold War. The main participants in this war are the United States and Soviet Union. This war took place between the year 1945 and 1990. This war took place between countries that exhibited a similar form of civilization (Ferguson, 2012). However, the several disparities in ideology led to the development of a major conflict. The United States is perceived to be a capitalist and democratic society, whereas the Soviet Union was a communist and autocratic society. These ideological differences led to the straining of the relationship between these two countries. Nature of Civilization There are several factors that define the nature of civilization that characterized a particular society, and they include; history, religion, customs, institutions, shared language and self-identification. Currently, most of the civilization is mainly based on religion. The Classical Culture of Rome and Greece is based on Christianity. This implies that most of the foreign policies of countries that are in the Classical Culture of Rome and Greece are based on the teachings of the Bible. This is mainly because the Bible serves as a religious book for Christians. As a result, countries that exhibit this form of civilization are likely to foster healthy relationships between each other. Their ideals are similar, hence there is minimal likelihood that a conflict will transpire between such countries. Countries that boast of differing forms of civilization are most likely to encounter ideological differences. For instance, it is extremely likely to conflict to occur between Western Countries and Islamic Countries (Lewis, 1990). This is primarily because of the ideological differences that are prevalent between these forms of countries. In fact, at the moment there are several forms of conflict that are prevalent between the Islamic states and the Western countries. These conflicts, mainly originate for the ideological differences that are prevalent between these two forms of civilizations. Islamic Civilization In addition, Islamic Civilization is perceived as one of the most popular forms of civilizations. This form of civilization is experienced in countries that are situated in North Africa, Pakistan, and the Middle East among others. The Islamic Civilizations are based around the teachings of the Quran. Countries that refer to themselves as Islamic states are characterized by this particular form of civilization. These types of countries normally operate under a unique set of beliefs. It is this form of beliefs that influence the nature of foreign policies that they develop. In fact, it is common in countries that boast of the same form of civilization to develop close relationships. This is mainly because the governments of such countries tend to exhibit comparatively high levels of trust for each other. It is this form of similarities that facilitate such states to trade effectively with each other. For instance, NAFTA can be considered as an example of a trading bloc between countries of the western civilization. OPEC can be deemed as an example of a trading bloc between countries of the Islamic Civilization (Mirsepasi, 2000). Countries tend to be keen on fostering and strengthening their relations with countries that boast of the same form of civilization. This is largely because they feel that they are working towards the realizing of similar objectives as well as they are less likely to disagree on the process of attaining the set objectives. Often, leaders of government normally disagree because of the difference in ideologies. However, this does not mean that governments that have different ideologies cannot work hand in hand. Governments that boast of different ideologies can consciously agree to work hand in hand towards the realizing of a common agenda. During such instances, there is a need for the various governments that have decided to work hand in hand to respect each other’s ideologies. It is only through respect that such governments can successfully work together. Indian Civilization Indian Civilization is considered as one of the most popular forms of civilization. This form of civilization directly affects the lives of approximately one billion human beings. The Indian Civilization is based on the religious teachings of religions such as Buddhism, Islam, and Hindu. The Chinese are also known for also having one of the most popular types of civilization that is known as Confucian. This type of civilization is based on a religion that is referred to as Confucian (Phillipson, 2012). This religion is mainly popular amongst the Chinese. In the course of time, there are approximately eight types of civilization that have come into existence. These include; African, Western, Japanese, Confucian, Islamic, Hindu, Latin America, and Slavic – orthodox. Understanding Civilization Huntington, who is amongst the most proficient experts on matters pertaining to civilization, suggests that civilization will serve as a major source of conflict. In the contemporary universe, human beings are allowed to move and interact with one another with minimal limitations. Provided a human being has a valid passport and a visa where need is he, or she can venture into any country in the universe. This has led to a situation whereby human beings are moving from one country to another in search of various kinds of services and products. Education is a primary factor that motivates human beings to move from a country to another. The majority of the residents of the developing nations prefers to pursue their tertiary education in universities that are found in advanced economies. The bulk of the developing economies are found in continents such as Asia, and Africa (Needham, 2000). The nature of civilization that has taken place in the advanced economies differs greatly in the form of civilization in the emerging economies. As a result, it is extremely likely that the residents of emerging economies will be in a position to identify the differences in civilization whenever they visit the advanced economies. Conversely, the residents of the advanced economies will also be able to identify the disparities in civilization whenever they visit the emerging economies. The increase in the prevailing degree of interaction between persons from different civilization leads to a general rise in civilization consciousness. This is a situation whereby a majority of the people will be in a position to effectively identify the various disparities that are prevalent among persons of various civilizations. The rise in the overall degree of awareness of commonalities and differences is likely to be a source of conflict (Russet, et al., 2000). This is because it is highly likely that there will be instances whereby people will seek to ascertain the superiority of the various civilizations. There are certain civilizations that will be judged harshly whereas there are others that will be judged favorably. The manner in which a particular form of civilization is judged largely depends on the judges. This implies that persons from countries that are predominately Muslim is likely to judge Islamic Civilization more favorably than any other civilization. Consequently, this is likely to lead to the development of a conflict between persons that originates from the various forms of civilization. This is because the majority of the people will be keen on protecting the interests of their preferred form of civilization. Civilization and Sense of Belonging For years majority of human being have been deriving a sense of belonging from the countries in which they belong. This therefore implies that the Chinese have been deriving a sense of belonging from China, whereas the British have been deriving a sense of belonging from the United Kingdom. As time progress, human beings have been moving away from deriving a sense of belonging from their countries of origin. Instead, there has been a significant rise in the overall population of human beings who are deriving their sense of belonging from their civilization. At the moment, the Western countries have been keen on championing the rights of Lesbians, Transgender, and Gay persons. This is because they appreciate that such individuals are supposed to be accorded a high degree of respect as individuals who are considered straight with regards to their sexual orientation. Government of most of the countries that hail Western civilization claim that human beings are not supposed to be discriminated on the grounds of their sexual orientation. This is because there is more to a human being than their sexual orientation (Russet, et al., 2000). In fact, most of these governments consider discriminating individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation to be as bad as racism. Due to this, they have been keen on supporting both government and non-government organizations that are championing for the rights of Lesbians, Transgender and Gay persons throughout the universe. As a result, this has led to the initiation of various forms of conflict. The other civilizations are against the right of Lesbians, Transgender and Gay persons. This is because most of these civilizations are based on religion. Lesbianism and homosexuality are considered as immoral practices by most religions. Due to this, such practices are normally not entertained in such countries. For instance, the President of Uganda is known for openly criticizing the rights of Lesbians, Transgender and Gay human beings (Potter & Knights, 2006). This is because Uganda is a country that is founded on the ideals of African Civilization. African civilization does not support the rights of Gay, Lesbians, and Transgender human beings. The majority of the African presidents are keen on making sure that their countries do not end up supporting the rights of such kinds of persons. This is a matter that has led to the initiation of diplomatic conflict between the Western countries and the African countries. For instance, the government of the United States openly rebukes the government of Uganda for its policy towards Gays, Lesbian, and Transgender individuals. The United States has also imposed several sanctions against Uganda with the aim of forcing it to acknowledge the rights of Gays, Lesbian, and Transgender individuals. Evidently, conflict is likely to arise whenever the government chooses to impose a particular form of civilization onto another. Islamic states are known to be characterized by a comparatively high prevalence of radicals. Radicals are individuals who are keen on fighting against the growth of Western civilization. This is because they bare the opinion that western civilization promotes practices that are harmful. The Western is personified by countries that are considered as being comparatively powerful. As a result, countries that boast of other forms of civilization normally interact with them from the point of defense. Countries such as the United States are known for promoting their form of civilization into other countries. This is an attribute that makes the governments of such countries to operate from a position of defense (Phillipson, 2012). The majority of the citizens of the Islamic countries tend to believe that the government of the United States is always bullying their governments. Due to this, they have developed a negative attitude towards that government. Consequently, this has led to the rise of various terror groups that are keen on undermining the interests of the United States, as well as other western powers. The Western countries should work with the governments of Islamic countries in formulating foreign policies that will facilitate the fostering of healthy relations between such countries. Cultural Difference Cultural differences should be put into consideration whenever countries are seeking effectively to handle challenges that are originating from civilization. This is because culture is a major component of civilization and human beings hold their culture dearly. As a result, there is a need for countries to strike a balance. It is very rare for human beings to be willing to compromise their culture, thus striking a balance is the most suitable way forward. A balance can be attained through the prevalence of mutual respect between members of different cultures. Mutual respect implies that all cultures should be held in high and equal esteem (Ferguson, 2012). No culture should be either superior or inferior to another. By so doing, the overall degree of conflict that is likely to originate from civilization can be minimized. Over the years, the universe has witnessed a significant rise in the number of trade agreements that are being signed between countries. The fundamental intention of most of these trade agreements is the forming of trade blocs. These trade blocs are usually comprised of several countries that are willing to indulge in trade together as trading partners. The rise in the number of the trade blocs has triggered another form of social economic challenge. Most of the trading blocs are being formed between countries that boast of a similar form of civilization (Phillipson, 2012). This leads to a situation whereby countries that are personified by different forms of civilization are likely to be suspicious about the affairs of other trading blocs. By so doing, they are likely to formulate foreign policies that are aimed at sabotaging each other with regards to attaining their objectives. Conclusion Evidently, Huntington was right when he claimed that civilization is likely to be the source of most of the conflicts that will be encountered in the contemporary universe. It is an ongoing process, hence it is likely that various forms of civilizations are likely to emerge as time passes by. The degree of disparity or uniqueness between the multiple forms of civilization will be a major factor with regards to the prevalence of a conflict. If the process of civilization continues to lead to the development of civilizations that exhibit comparatively high levels of disparity, conflict is likely to occur. Alternatively, if this particular process leads to the forming of civilizations that boast of relatively high level of similarity, conflict is not likely to occur (Range, 2010). Culture and religion are at the center of civilization. In fact, they are major factors with regard to the manner in which a society will continue to civilize. There is a need for the aforementioned factors to be studied extensively so as to facilitate the proper understanding of their ramifications on civilization. Consequently, such studies can be instrumental in minimizing the general degree of conflict that is likely to arise through the process of civilization. Bibliography Boyden, S. V., 2004. The Biology of Civilization: Understanding Human Culture as a Force in Nature. New York: New south Publishing. Ferguson, N., 2012. Civilization: The Six Killer Apps of Western Power. New York: Penguin Books. Lewis, B., 1990. The Roots of Muslim Rage. Policy summer, pp. 17-26. Mirsepasi, 2000. Intellectual Discourse and the Process of Modernization: Negotiating Modernity in Iran. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Needham, J., 2000. Science and Civilization in China: Volume 4, Physics and Physical Technology. Cambridge: Cambridge University. Phillipson, D. W., 2012. Foundations of an African Civilization: Aksum and the Northern Horn, 1000 BC. London: British Institute of Eastern Africa. Potter, A. & Knights, S., 2006. Classical Civilization for the AQA Specification. London: Rhine Gold. Rane, H., 2010. Islam and Contemporary Civilization. Sidney: Melbourne University Press. Russet, B., O'Neal, J. & Cox, M., 2000. Clash of Civilizations, or Realism and Liberalism DeJa Vu?. Journal of Peace Research, Volume 5, p. 35. Read More