Samuel P. Huntington is certain that the arena of world politics is facing a new phase of international conflicts and this time they will be based on a cultural distinction. He argues that “the clash of civilizations” and the “fault lines” between them will constitute a major global issue. Certainly, terrorism and the military expansion of certain Eastern countries have become primary concerns all over the world. Over the last decades, terrorist attacks and the refugee crisis have shaped the common fears of the Western states. These days, cultural and national identity mean much more to many countries than economic divisions in the world. Each civilization has its language, history, religion, customs, and common objectives. These are the elements that distinguish one nation from another and develop the concepts of “ours” and “theirs”—and the latter often means “against ours.”
Cultural characteristics differ from nation to nation and sometimes these differences cannot be ignored or compromised. The processes of globalization make it difficult to preserve identities and force the smaller civilizations to adjust themselves in line with the dominant one, currently the West.
The major cultural conflict is between Western and Islamic civilizations and began about 1,300 years ago with Crusaders trying to bring Christian rule to the Holy Land. Centuries later, after World War II, Arab nationalism started to express itself.
At the same time, Western countries were relying on the Persian Gulf states because of their oil deposits. Being the major source of energy, these states soon became wealthy and acquired significant weapons. Noteworthy conflicts already existed inside the Islamic world regarding the true understanding of Muslim religion and philosophy. Western countries provoked several wars between Arabs and Israel, and there was fighting in Algeria and Egypt, Libya and Iraq. Western intervention into Muslim countries triggered the terrorist movement that was supported by at least three Islamic countries. In Road to 9/11: A Brief History of the Middle East, Friedman comments: “For the past 50 years, we treated the Arab world as a series of big gas stations.” He elaborates: “And all we cared was that you keep the pump open, the prices low and be nice to the Jews—and you can do whatever you want outback. On 9/11, we got hit with everything going on the outback.”
Many Islamic countries are developing a highly-developed economy; their autocratic forms of government are no longer relevant and the necessity of introducing democracy is becoming more important. However, the recent wars made many Arabs feel humiliated and outraged about the West and its standards. They supported Saddam Hussein’s actions toward Israel and are more inclined to build their future.
These days Western civilization dominates the world in the areas of politics, the economy, and military affairs. During the summits of international organizations, Western representatives make decisions that support the interests of the West but present them as the interests of the world community. As a natural consequence, there must be a response from non-Western civilizations to this situation.
One of the crucial issues on a global scale is the military power of countries. While the current purpose of Western states is maximum demilitarization, non-Western states are set to develop as much armament as needed for their defense.
The author highlights the importance of the differences among cultures and their impact on international relations. Non-Western civilizations are aiming to acquire an important position in world processes and play a role in global decision making along with the West.
In conclusion, Huntington states that Western civilization has to do its best to understand the “basic religious and philosophical assumptions underlying other civilizations” and consider their needs. Instead of neglecting non-Western communities, they should investigate the similarities and look for common interests. The key to a peaceful and prosperous future is to find a way to coexist.