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The Clash of Civilizations?: The Debate

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There may be some confusion regarding this book and another with a similar title published at the same time, so let me first clarify things. In 1993 Professor Samuel P. Huntington wrote an article entitled "The Clash of Civilizations?" in Foreign Affairs Magazine. This article generated a considerable amount of interest and criticism and two follow-up books. Professor Huntington expanded his original thesis into a book "The Clash of Civilizations" which was published in 1996. At the same time, his original article, along with 7 critical responses and a rebuttal of this criticism by Professor Huntington was also published. The book being reviewed here is the book containing these critical articles, hence the term debate in the title.

Huntington's thesis is that future international conflicts will be based mostly on cultural lines, resulting in a clash of civilizations, with a very important one being the clash between the civilization of Islam and the West. Seven distinguished professors and journalists, namely; Fouad Ajami, Kishore Mahbubani, Robert L. Bartley, Liu Binyan, Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, Albert L. Weeks, and Gerard Piel, wrote the critical articles contained in this book. As noted, the book also contains the original article and a rebuttal to these seven articles. It is important to read other viewpoints and these articles make an important counterpoint to Huntington's book and should be read along with it.

Be forewarned however, this book is only 67 pages long, of which 25 pages are taken up with Professor Huntington's original article, with an additional 12 pages allotted to his rebuttal of the criticism leveled against it. Most of the critical articles are very sketchy and very short. One of the articles is only a single page long, one is only two pages long, two are four pages long and two are five pages long. This leaves only that by Fouad Ajami, which at ten pages is long enough to develop its criticism. If you already have the book that expands upon the original article, you will be getting relatively little new material for your money. If you have neither book, this (the debate book) is a nice place to start since it provides the original article and opposing views. Then, if you are sufficiently interested in more, you can get the book containing the expanded version of Professor Huntington's ideas. It would have been nice if both books could have been combined, but this was not possible as there are different publishers for each.

This short book does an excellent job of providing the reader with both sides of the "West vs. the Rest" debate. In addition to Huntington's essay, originally published in the fall of 1993, there are several counter-essays that argue against Huntington's original "Clash of Civilizations?" The book is finished off with another essay by Huntington, a counter to the counter-essays, entitled "If Not Civilizations, What?" Even though the essays were all originally published in the early 1990's, alot of their arguments still ring true in the world we live in today.

I enjoyed the original book but this debate replies don't go in depth to become intriguing. It is a collection of responses from 7 other economist/historian/etc., and it is a very basic responses. I would just read it at some bookstore, and save the money. [.]

The analysis, published 1993 by Huntington, written long before any Danish Mohammed-Cartoon, has refocused attention after the 9/11 Islamic terrorist attacks - and there seems to be no end: Madrid (3/11/04), bombings in Istanbul (11/20/03) and in London (7/7/05) or the ritual assassination of Dutch filmmaker and writer Theo van Gogh in Amsterdam (11/2/04). Protests against Danish Mohammed-Cartoons (2006), Hamas in Gaza, war against IRAQ, trouble with IRAN.

And therefore there is no end of TV-discussions how to react. Huntington, former foreign policy aide to the US State Department speaks of so-called "fault-line-wars", which exist between the cultures (religions) and will give endlessly smouldering. As examples the hunter Huntington specifies among other things the Gulf War and Afghanistan.

Hotspots seemed to be on the fault lines between the religions in Chechnya, the Middle East, Tibet, Sri Lanka, and Bosnia. In Yugoslavia the Serbs where supported by Russian diplomatist while Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran and Libya provided arms to the Bosnians. Yugoslavia is an example of what happens to a country where religious factors become the means for identifying oneself.

And it could develop worse: Koran-Sura 9, verse 5: "Fight and slay the pagans wherever you find them. And seize them, beleaguer them and lie in wait for them, in every stratagem [of war]." Islam teaches that Muslims must not befriend Jews and Christians. Surat Al-Maidah 5:51 says, "O ye, who believe, take not the Jews or the Christians for your friends and protectors. They are but friends and protectors to each other."

In the chapter about how to stop those "break-line-wars" Huntington writes: "The force along cultural break lines may stop for a while completely, but it rarely ends really." "These problems become still more complicated, if the cultures involved do not have a core state." Hierarchy-creditor finishing sentence of this important chapter: "A break line war cooks from down highly, a break line peace seeps from above down". We hope, Huntington will know, which at the end is "above". Another unsentimental, very tough-minded Huntington analysis: "The conflict can disappear fast and brutally, as a group extinguishes the other one."

The fact that cultural difference could brought to coexistence, into an equilibrium, supported by a progressive deliberated secularization of all denominations (accompanied by a sober transformation of all too denomination-linked educating systems) - such roots of thought we unfortunately miss in this provoking sermon, mainly dominated by a military perspective...