Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences (PJSS)

Vol. 32, No. 2 (2012), pp.521-527

The Clash of Civilizations? A Critique

Mian Muhammad Tahir Ashraf
Lecturer, Department of International Relations,
Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, Pakistan.

Abstract:
After the disintegration of former Soviet Union in 1989, debate started
among the intellectuals as well as policy makers in USA about the future
shape of world politics and role of the US in it. In this regard, early voice
was Francis Fukuyamas The End of History which focused on political
ideologies as the main unit of analysis. To him, after the end of cold war,
western liberal democracy has emerged as the final form of government.
While participating in this debate, Samuel P. Huntington wrote his
renowned article The Clash of Civilizations? in Foreign Affairs in 1993.
Huntington gave an alternative interpretation about the future shape of
world politics in the post- cold war era. He took difference in civilization as
one of the important sources of conflicts in the world.
In this article three important issues regarding Huntingtons The Clash of
Civilizations? have been addressed. These issues include conceptual
strengths of Huntingtons thesis The Clash of Civilizations? ; academic
strengths and weak points in The Clash of Civilizations?. Huntingtons
The Clash of Civilizations? has also been analysed in this context of
emerging contemporary international political system.
To conclude, Huntingtons The Clash of Civilizations? was an
alternative interpretation of the possible emergence of international
political system. It was a response to liberals among US policy circles who
were viewing liberal democracy as final form of government. While taking
civilization as unit of analysis, Huntington attempted to explain emerging
structure of international politics and American role in it. However,
Huntington is futuristic in his approach.

I. Introduction
After 1989, the world entered into post cold war era. The strategy of containment
which dominated US foreign policy for over forty years has become obsolete. Quite a
number of scholars, experts, politicians and intellectuals undertook intellectual efforts to
explain the future shape of world politics as well as patterns in international relations.
Early voice in this regard was Francis Fukuyamas The End of History which focused
on political ideologies as the main unit of analysis. But, the most important and
influential one was The Clash of Civilizations? presented by Samuel. P. Huntington.
Huntingtons article, published in Foreign Affairs in 1993, stirred a lot of debate around
the world.

The objective of this article is to critically review Huntingtons The Clash of
Civilizations?. The article will focus on three questions. Firstly, we will examine the
conceptual strengths of Huntingtons thesis The Clash of Civilizations?. Secondly,
what are the academic strengths and weaknesses in The Clash of Civilizations?
522 Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences Vol. 32, No. 2
Thirdly, does the Clash of Civilizations? fulfill the realities of contemporary
international political system?

II. Conceptualization of the Clash of Civilizations
The cold war divided the world into the first, second and third world. These
divisions are no more relevant. It is more meaningful to divide the world on the basis of
culture and civilization instead of making groups of countries in terms of ideological or
economic systems. According to Huntington, civilization is the highest cultural grouping
of people and the broadest level of cultural identity which distinguishes humans from
others species. It is identified by common objective elements such as language, history,
religion, customs, institution as well as subjective element such as self-identification of
people( Huntington,1993). While identifying Western, Confucian, Japanese, Islamic,
Hindu, Slavic-Orthodox, Latin American and African civilizations as major civilizations,
Huntington has foreseen the future course of world politics dominated by conflicts
between these civilizations along the cultural fault-lines.

Huntington has enumerated following factors as causes of the clash of
civilizations. First, differences among civilizations are basic because civilizations are
differentiated from each other by history, language, culture, tradition and religion.
Second, the world is becoming a smaller place. Due to increasing interactions between
people of various civilizations, civilizations consciousness is being intensified. Third,
processes of economic modernization and social change are separating people from their
local identities. Fourth, the dual role of the west has enhanced the growth of civilization
consciousness. On the one hand, the west is at a peak of power. At the similar time,
perhaps as a reaction to it, attraction towards its roots is increasing among non-western
civilizations. Fifth, cultural differences are less compromised and resolved than political
and economic ones. Lastly, growing economic regionalism has two fold impacts. On the
one hand, successful economic regionalism will enhance civilization consciousness
while on the other hand economic regionalism may succeed only when it has its
foundation in common civilization.

Huntington predicts that in future the West will have a conflict with Islam. While
quoting an Indian Muslim author, M.J. Akbars Observation, he states that the wests
next confrontation is definitely going to come from the Muslim world. It is in the
sweep of the Islamic nations from Maghrib to Pakistan that the struggles for a new world
order will begin(Huntington,1993).

States belonging to one civilization, when involve in war with people from
different civilizations, try to gather up support from other members of their own
civilization on the basis of civilization commonality, what H.D.S. Greenway has termed
the kin-country syndrome. To Huntington, this kin-country syndrome is replacing
political ideology and traditional balance of power as the basis for cooperation and
Coalitions( Huntington,1993). He has presented Gulf war, Armenian- Azerbaijan conflict
and fighting in former Yugoslavia as examples of kin-country syndrome.

According to Huntington, non-western countries including Latin American, East
European, Orthodox countries of the former Soviet Union, Muslim, Confucian, Hindu
and Buddhist Societies do not want to join the west due to cultural differences. However,
intensity may vary from East European countries to Buddhist societies. These non-
Mian Muhammad Tahir Ashraf 523
western countries want to compete the west by promoting their internal development and
by cooperating with other non-western countries. The most prominent form of this
cooperation is the Confucian- Islamic connection that has emerged to challenge western
interests, values and Power(Huntington,1993).

Huntingtons the clash of civilizations? provides implications for the west. As a
short term advantage it emphasizes upon the west to promote greater cooperation within
its own civilization particularly between its North American and European segments so
that escalation of local inter-civilization conflict into major inter-civilization war could be
prevented.

In the long term, some other measures have been recommended for western policy.
Non-western civilizations have attempted to become modern without becoming western.
These civilizations will continue this posture by acquiring the wealth, technology, skills,
machines and weapons that are part of modernity. However, they will attempt to
reconcile this modernity with their traditional values and culture. Therefore, their
economic as well as military power will increase. Hence, the west will have to
accommodate these non western modern civilizations. However, the west will have to
maintain its economic and military power necessary to protect its interests.

III. Academic Weak Points
The Clash of Civilizations has it weakness in three methodological dimensions,
discipline, approach and correlative propositions. Discipline-wise, The Clash of
Civilizations delineates a confusional mode of analysis(Sajjadpour,1995). A reader
remains in a permanent state of confusion because of two reasons. First, Huntington
refrains from clearly drawing his choice of discipline in the article. Second, he borrows
concepts form different disciplines and fits his conclusion. The concept of civilization is
vividly borrowed from Anthropology, identity from Social Psychology, and conflict form
Political Science.

Approach-wise, the article has two weaknesses. The first one is confusion in
dealing with realist theory of international relations. Huntingtons aim is to produce a
piece of international politics but he is inconsistent with the realist approach when he
deals with world power politics. However, he does not stay in this line of thought when
he identifies civilizational affinity as the base for alliances rather than national interest.

The second deficiency with respect to approach in Huntington's article relates to
the unmanageability to its unit of analysis. Civilization as a unit of analysis is a big entity.
Here two conceptual difficulties need to be mentioned. The first one is the definition of
civilization. Huntington is not successful in defining civilization with universal
application. The second conceptual deficiency in the definition of civilization can be
identified with the locational element of civilization. Geographical boundaries are so
significant in his definition that it may not be applicable to the Islamic civilization
because it is not boundary limited due to the nature of Islam as a universal religion.
Muslim communities in western countries are growing. Do they belong to the western
civilization or the Islamic one?

The third methodological weak point needs to be examined the
correlative propositions. The key point in his analysis is that the future conflicts are
524 Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences Vol. 32, No. 2
keenly correlated with civilizational differences. Thus, correlation is drawn from the case
studies: Bosnia, the Persian Gulf and NagornoKarabakh. These cases are different in
their locality, nature, the number of players and the background of the conflicts. In each
of these case studies natural national interest can be identified as the cause of the conflict.
Another weak point in Huntingtons article is what Edward W. Said, calls affirmation of
the personification of enormous entities called " the west "and "Islam" (Said,1994).
Huntington has not explained internal dynamics and plurality of every civilization
because the major contest in most modern cultures concerns the definition or
interpretation of each culture(Said,1994).

"The Clash of Civilizations" and Contemporary International Political System
Huntington's article in my view is not in coherence with realities of contemporary
politics. Huntington wrote:

"What ultimately counts for people is not political ideology or economic interest. Faith and
family, blood and belief, are what people identify with and what they will fight and die for.
And that is why the clash of civilizations is replacing the cold war as the Central Phenomenon
of global politics, and why a civilizational paradigm provides, better than any alternative, a
useful starting point for understanding and copying with the changes going on in the
world"(Huntington,1993).

We all know that one of the most striking phenomena in the post cold war global
politics is the economy which has become the dominant factor in shaping international
relations. States consider their economies the basic factor in international political
system. So, states try their best to grow their economies to play a key role in global
politics. How could it be conceived that what ultimately counts for people is not
.economic interest?"(Junhui,1995).

A Chinese Scholar, Jin Junhui has presented his view point in his article "The
Clash of civilizations: observations" in these words:

In today's world, owning to the different levels of economic developments, the existence of
significant distinction between the developed countries and the developing countries is an
objective fact. In order to realize their own economic growth, the developing countries have
been fighting in their efforts to establish a new world economic order with certain developed
countries. So, how could it be arbitrarily asserted that to group countries in terms of their
culture and civilization is far more meaningful?"(Junhui,1995).

Huntingtons thesis does not accord with the reality of the present world. The
changes are still going on in post-cold war international system. Regional groupings are
the preferences of the states. Regional organizations such as European Union, ASEAN,
OAU and SAARC are playing an important role in world politics. World is in transitional
phase after cold war. There are various factors that may give rise to real conflicts. These
factors include territorial disputes, ethnic clashes, racial and religious contradictions,
differences between civilizations, hegemony and values. It is not yet the right time to
define which single factor or combination of factors has become dominant.

People must pay attention to the fact that Huntington in his article. "The Clash of
civilizations" explicitly offered the following policy proposals:


Mian Muhammad Tahir Ashraf 525
"In the short term it is clearly in the interest of the west to promote greater cooperation and
unity within its own civilization, particularly between its European and North American
components to incorporate societies in Eastern Europe and Latin America whose culture are
close to those of the west" to promote and maintain cooperative relations with Russia and
Japan, to prevent escalation of local inter-civilization conflicts into major inter-civilization
wars, to limit the expansion of the military strength of Confucian and Islamic states, to
strengthen international institutions that reflect and legitimate Western interests and values and
to promote the involvements of non western states in those institutions.."(Huntinton,1993).

From the above quotation, one can easily see that these proposals are nothing but
an attempt to create or intensify conflicts in the world with the label of "The Clash of
Civilizations" and even to spare no efforts in creating new "cold war" among nations in
order to establish and strengthen the dominant position of the western civilization in the
whole world.

It is notable that some observers keep on cogitate the sinister activities of the
military industrial complex, with lobbies for the US armaments industry diligently
promoting the idea of defending enemies (Hyman,1995).

Scholars speculate that "the
Clash of civilizations" is written for the U.S lobbies who want to sale US made weapons.
They have succeeded in their purpose threatening the world in general and the west in
particular against Islamic-Confucian civilizational cooperation.

Professor Huntington has endeavored to establish connection between Islam and
Confucianism as two civilizations. From his point of view, selling of arms to Islamic
countries is the reason behind this connection. If it is correct, how the arms relation
between the United States and Saudi Arabia and Kuwait could be judged"?(Serajzah,
1995).

As far as Islamic civilization is concerned, Professor Huntington's view is not
correct regarding application of definition of civilization to the whole Islamic world. The
East Asian Islamic countries like Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei; Iran and Arab
Countries; Muslims of Central Asian region and Muslims of the sub-continent have
grown up in their own historical and cultural beds. Therefore, they have different views
on global issues.

Professor Huntington has laid one sided emphasis on conflicts and contradictions
among different civilizations with the neglect of their co existence and blend. Diverse
civilizations not only have their contradictions but also have their co-existence and blend.
The four great inventions from ancient China, the symbols of Chinese Civilizations have
now become the common wealth of the whole human civilizations on a more developed
basis. The great masters of the Enlightenment in Europe in the 17
th
18
th
centuries had
more or less learned from Chinese Civilization while the Chinese Civilization including
Confucianism, in the process of development, has learned a lot from other civilizations
including Islamic civilization(Yuxi,1995).

IV. Conclusion
Huntington's article "the Clash of Civilizations?" is an attempt to explain future
patterns of world politics after the disintegration of Soviet Union and particularly
American role in it. It is an explanation about new phase in world politics after the end of
cold war. Huntington's article was a response to Francis Fukuyama's thesis of "End of
526 Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences Vol. 32, No. 2
History" in which Fukuyama focused on political ideologies as the main unit of analysis
and argued that liberal democracy might embody the end point of mankind's ideological
evolution and the final form of government.(Fukuyama,1989).While presenting " The
Clash of Civilizations?" Huntington gave alternative interpretation in American policy
making ranks for possible future shape of world politics in the post Cold War era.

Huntington's thesis on "The Clash of Civilizations?" is bold academic flirtation
with the concept called civilization. Presenting civilizations as a unit of analysis,
Huntington has attempted to identify the differences in civilization as one of the
important sources of the conflicts in the world. In this regard he is futuristic in his
approach. Though he relies heavily on an article written by the veteran Orientals Bernard
Lewis in 1990, titled as "the Roods of Muslim Rage yet his argument is visionary (Said,
1994).

Huntington's article was an academic reply to liberals who after the end of Cold
War politics were of the view that western values had become the only remaining
ideological alternative for nations in the post Cold War World. According to
Huntington, nation states will remain the most powerful actors in world affairs
(Huntington, 1993).

There are some brilliant points and analyses in Huntingtons article. For example,
he rightly points out that in the politics of civilizations, the people and governments of
non-western civilizations will no longer remain the objects of history as targets of
western colonialism but join the west as movers and shapers of history (Huntington,
1993).

After September 11, 2001, international community has witnessed a lot of debates
about Huntingtons thesis regarding possible clash between Islam and the West. Muslim
world especially has not liked Huntingtons thesis that a confrontation is on the horizon
between the West and Islam (Mazuri, 2006).

Though Huntington has presented a notion what he called "civilization identity
yet he has argued for "co-existence of Civilization" when he rightly says that "there will
be no universal Civilization, but instead of a world of different civilization, each of which
will have to learn to co- exist with others"(Huntington, 1993).

Now, it is the time for intellectuals both western and Muslims to explain the
notions in such a way that harmonious atmosphere could be created in the world. To
conclude, it can be stated that dispute some academic weak points, Huntington's article
"the Clash of Civilization?" has presented some brilliant points for analyses. His article
has started unending debate and attracted surprise amount of attention and reaction.


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Hyman, Anthony (1995). The Clash of Civilizatoin. Strategic Studies, XVIII(1): 109-113.

Junhui, Jin (1995). The Clash of Observations. Strategic Studies, XVIII (1):32- 38.

Mazrui, Dr.Ali A. (2006). Has A Clash of Civilisation Begun? : From the Cold War of
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