Clash of civilisations (will have to apply to Paris attacks)

Question 1

Who wrote clash of civilisations in 1993?

Answer 1

Samuel Huntingdon

Question 2

What is the main argument of the clash of civilisations?

Answer 2

That Fukuyama was wrong and too idealistic. Conflict was an inevitability

Question 3

It goes beyond a realist agenda by saying that conflict will not be about power, influence or status but it will be what kind of conflict?

Answer 3

• Conflict will not be about power, influence or status but instead will be on cultural and religious grounds

Question 4

While nation states will remain the most powerful actors in world affairs, the principal of conflict will occur between what kind of groups?

Answer 4

• While nations states will remain the most powerful actors in world affairs, the principal of conflict will occur between civilisations

Question 5

define a civilisation

How do they differ?

Answer 5

the highest cultural grouping of a people and the broadest level of cultural identity they possess

• Culturally
• Linguistically
• Traditionally

Question 6

What are the 8 civilisations?

Answer 6

1. Western
2. Confucian
3. Japanese
4. Islamic
5. Hindu
6. Slavic-Orthodox
7. Latin-American
8. African

Question 7

what societal differences make a civilisational clash inevitable?

Answer 7

Language, culture, history, tradition, religion

Question 8

what economic phenomena makes a clash easier?

Answer 8

Globalisation

Question 9

Describe power shifts in the world economy that could lead to clash

Answer 9

West is at peak of power but its being caught up by other nations

Question 10

What will successful economic regionalism mean?

Answer 10

• A reinforcement of civilisational consciousness

Question 11

At what two levels will COC occur?

Answer 11

• Micro = adjacent groups at fault lines of civilisations struggle (territory and control) (e.g. Islam versus west)
• Macro = states from different civilisations compete for relative military and economic power, struggle over control of interntional institutions and third parties, competitive promotion of religious values

Question 12

What did Huntingdon say about Islam and communism?

Answer 12

• He said that Islam was the new communism, a new transnational force in the world that was bound to clash with the west

Question 13

Muslims are a majority in how many nations?

Answer 13

56 (Africa and Asia) (also have big numbers in west)

Question 14

What UN concept does Huntingdon say the west extolls?

Answer 14

An idea that universal civilisation is possible, UN, IMF, WTO reflect western interests.

Question 15

What are the alternatives to western domination according to Huntingdon?

Answer 15

• Isolationism
• Accepting of values and interchange
• Balancing of power

Question 16

What will the west have to do if it wants to remain the leading power according to huntingdon?

Answer 16

• Re-evaluate its foreign policy and immigration policies

Question 17

What is a strong critique of Huntingdon thesis? (internal)

Answer 17

• He understands civilisations as entirely homogenous without internal conflicts or differences.
• He dismisses the powerful role of states in world politics
• Where does one civilisation end and another begin

Question 18

Exemplify how the Isreali-Palestinian conflict makes it hard to understand how it proves COC wrong

Answer 18

• Struggle against ISreal is geopolitical rather than purely only cultural or religious

(Hamas and Fatah) (Hezbollah)

Question 19

Huntingdon gives what example of potential civilisational clash?

Answer 19

• Greece and Turkey were allies in Nato but now they have a common threat of the USSR gone they can come to conflict.

Question 20

what is a counter point to the argument of internal conflict?

Answer 20

• Huntingdon notes that conflict within Islamic communities is part of their development, e.g. break up of ottoman empire, history may repeat itself

Question 21

Katzenstein makes the argument that societies are both? Plural and?

Answer 21

• Societies are both plural and pluralist (comprised of convergent and divergent actors and processes)

Question 22

What does katzenstein mean when he calls Huntingdon a cultural realist?

Answer 22

• States are still the most important actors but policy is driven by cultural over ideological considerations

Question 23

How did Edward said refer to the clash of civilisations?

Answer 23

• The clash of ignorance
• Doesn’t look at internal plurality enough
• Civilisations are not sealed of entities

Question 24

What was the big generalised statement that Huntingdon made about Muslims?

Answer 24

• the worlds billion or so muslims are ‘convinced of the superiority of their culture, and obsessed with the inferiority of their power’

Question 25

Dubai and Hong Kong are?

Answer 25

• Pretty westernised cultures

Question 26

What inter muslim conflict is highly significant?

Answer 26

• Sunni / Shia clash

Question 27

While he bases society on norms he fails to recognise that norms are?

Answer 27

• Dynamic, ideas on homosexuality, race and culture are constantly changing

Question 28

Saudia Arabia as a muslim nation is?

Answer 28

• A key trade partner of the west and ally of Britain / America

Question 29

how many people died in Paris attacks?

Answer 29

130 dead (hundreds wounded)

Question 30

How did President Hollande describe the Paris attacks?

Answer 30

An act of war organised by ISIS