Clash of Civilizations

For the Unit 9 Assignment, you will compose a 500 word essay comparing Huntington’s ‘Clash of Civilizations?’ article with one other political scientist and/or academic who has written a response to Huntington’s ‘Clash of Civilizations?’ article.

Within the introduction to Harvard Professor Samuel P. Huntington’s 1993, seminal political science article, ‘The Clash of Civilizations?’, the author noted,

World politics is entering a new phase and intellectuals have not hesitated to proliferate visions of what it will be, the end of history, the return of traditional rivalries between nation states, and the decline of the nation state from the conflicting pulls of tribalism and globalism, among others. Each of these visions catches aspects of the emerging reality. Yet they all miss a crucial, indeed a central, aspect of what global politics is likely to be in the coming years.

It is my hypothesis that the fundamental source of conflict in this new world will not be primarily ideological or primarily economic. The great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural. Nation states will remain the most powerful actors in world affairs, but the principal conflicts of global politics will occur between nations and groups of different civilizations. The clash of civilizations will dominate global politics. The fault lines between civilizations will be the battle lines of the future. (Huntington, 1993)

Huntington’s full article can be found here. Since Huntington’s article was published in 1993 many political scientists and/or academic have written in response to Huntington’s thesis – either agreeing or disagreeing with the Harvard professor’s ideas.

However, since the September 11, 2001 attacks on U.S. soil, Huntington’s thesis has renewed academic discourse.

Reference

Huntington, S. P. (1993). The Clash of Civilizations?. Foreign Affairs, 72(3), 22.

Within a 500 word essay please include

• An introduction.
• Provide a brief summary of Huntington’s thesis.
• Compare and contrast Huntington's arguments with one other political scientist and/or academic.
  • You will find a voluminous list of academic articles within Purdue Global online library. A keyword search for ‘clash of civilizations’ is an excellent starting place.
• Support your answer(s) with information obtained from the text and with Huntington’s and the other political scientist and/or academic’s articles.
• How do you understand these two, competing or aligned articles within America’s war on terror?
• A conclusion.
• Correct grammar and syntax.
• APA Format.

The Assignment should be at least 500 words, and must use and cite the text and primary documents as sources. Cite the work internally and in full reference at the end, following APA style guidelines. Citation is important to build the definitions, demonstrate your research, and to make it clear which ideas are yours and which are from the source. Check with the Writing Center for APA style tips and assistance.