Post-Cold War World

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses Samuel Huntington's theory about the clash of civilizations, which postulates that the bloodiest conflicts in this century would take place between Islamic and Western civilizations. It further examines how the clash theory holds that the post-Cold War world will be increasingly polarized between Islamic and Western civilizations and societies and how, as a result, many view 9/11 as the initial confirmation of Huntington's thesis. The paper also looks at how there is a section of the academic community that has opposed the clash theory from the start and continues to attack it as having proceeded on the wrong premise. The paper assesses the rationale and validity of Huntington's thesis and evaluates the logic of the arguments lined up by critics against it.

Outline:
Abstract
Clash Theory
Fault Line Wars
Research & Analysis Methods
Opposing Views

From the Paper:

"In a response, Edward Said (2001) dismisses Huntington's thesis as baseless and misinformed in his own essay in The Nation titled "The Clash of Ignorance." Said argues that Huntington's categorization of the world's fixed "civilizations" omits the dynamic interdependency and interaction of culture and that his ideas are based not on harmony but on the clash or conflict between worlds. The theory that each world is "self-enclosed" is applied to the world map, to the structure of civilizations, to the notion that each race has a special destiny and psychology. According to Said, it is an example of an imagined geography where the presentation of the world in a certain way legitimates certain politics. Short of calling Huntington a warmonger, Said says the clash theory is interventionist and aggressive since it is aimed at maintaining a wartime status in the minds of the Americans. Thus, it continues to expand the Cold War by other means rather than advancing ideas that might help us understand the current scene towards reconciling the two cultures. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Cordesman, A.H. (2006). "Preliminary Lessons of the Israeli-Hezbollah War." Center for Strategic and International Studies.
• Dawood, N.J. (2003). "Koran." Penguin Group Inc.
• Gelvin, J.L. (2008). "Modern Middle East: A Heritage." Oxford University Press.
• Huntington, S.P. (1996). "Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order." Simon & Schuster Inc.
• Said, E.W. (2001). "The Clash of Ignorance." The Nation, available at: http://www. thenation.com/doc20011002/said/3

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