|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Special report:
09/03/02September 11 toppled our biggest buildings and unearthed the foundations of American life - pluralism, bravery, and resilience. Join us as we explore the questions raised one year ago and profile people whose lives have been changed.
 Other Special Reports:
This interactive project lets you decide what is terrorism - and what's not.
 12/19/01 Women in conservative Islamic societies talk about their lives, and how the West perceives them.
12/13/01 Which civil liberties - and whose - can be abridged to create a safer America?
A three-part series. Part 2:
Tribunals on trial 12/05/01 Enough nuclear material is missing worldwide to make a 'dirty' bomb. Where is it? What is being done to prevent its use by terrorists? 11/05/01 As Osama bin Laden calls for a jihad, and militants rally, where are the moderate Muslims? 10/26/01 Since the founding of a Jewish homeland in 1948, America's unique friendship with Israel has weathered war and crises. It is now drawing more public scrutiny than it has in a generation. 10/18/01 A special report on the ideology of jihad and the rise of Islamic militancy. 10/11/01 One month has elapsed since the attacks on America. People say their lives are back to normal, but they also sense that 'normal' is different now - serious, patriotic, more prayerful. 09/27/01 It is a question that has ached in America's heart since September 11. A special report on anti-Americanism. 09/17/01 September 11th forever changed the way the United States looks at itself and the world. This three-part story examines the day of the attack, the way a nation rallied in the wake of terror, and the day's many aftershocks. 09/28/01 From the 'A' train to the Rainbow Room, a tour of venues that most define New York shows how much the city has changed - and refuses to - 17 days after the attack.
Sept. 11: The Attack
• Map (Timetable)Osama bin Laden
 |
|
Online resources and expert commentary on Samuel P. Huntington's essay, "The Clash of Civilizations?"
| csmonitor.com staff writer
A new cold war. A clash of civilizations. A global holy war. Such are the broad brush strokes used to paint the background of the conflict in Afghanistan. The conflict broke wide open Sept. 11, but experts say its beginnings are deeply rooted in religious and cultural tensions sharpened by the end of the cold war. Long before Sept. 11, some commentators wrote presciently about the kind of tension symbolized by the US-led fight against terrorism. One of the most provocative theories was put forward by Harvard political scientist Samuel P. Huntington, who in his 1993 Foreign Affairs essay "The Clash of Civilizations?" (later adapted into a book) predicted increasing conflict between the world's Western and Muslim civilizations. As Mr. Huntington put it, "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." The chief cultural fault line in the post-cold war world, Huntington argues, occurs where the West meets Islam. The "clash of civilizations" hypothesis is just that – a hypothesis. And Huntington himself has emphasized the hope that the West and Islam can find ways to peacefully coexist. As he wrote in his book, "In the final analysis, however, all civilizations will have to learn to tolerate each other." Exploring the debate about Islamic fundamentalism Since Sept. 11, ideas about the nature of religious and cultural conflict have seeped into newspaper opinion pieces and religion-oriented websites. President Bush has emphasized that the United States is not on a crusade against Islam. Yet some commentators feel that Islamic values, and not just its radical adherents, are at odds with Western ideals. Is the military campaign in Afghanistan best seen as a war against terrorism, or is it really a war against Islam? Yes, this is a religious war (The New York Times Magazine)
"The religious dimension of this conflict is central to its meaning."
Yes, this is about Islam (The New York Times)
"If terrorism is to be defeated, the world of Islam must take on board the secularist-humanist principles on which the modern is based, and without which Muslim countries' freedom will remain a distant dream."
Religion is not the enemy (National Review)
"Don't look at Osama bin Laden and see Islam."
Bin Laden Is a Fundamentalist (National Review)
"Islamic fundamentalists stand outside of historic Islam and are already within bin Laden's extremist ranks."
"I have yet to meet anyone – who isn't either especially well read, a religion major or a Muslim – who can accurately describe Islamic beliefs."
Islam is part of the West (The New York Times)
"Bosnia is the place to render the notion of a clash of civilizations null and void and to prove that democracy, freedom and human rights are universal."
War against Terrorism or Crusade against Islam? (Media Review Network)
"Islam is rapidly emerging as the ideological rallying point for Muslims everywhere as they aspire for genuine liberation from the fetters of both local despotism and global authoritarianism."
It's a war against Islam (khilafah.com)
"Bush revealed the true nature of this campaign when he correctly described it as a crusade..."
"This is not a fight against Islam. It is the opposite."
What does Islam say about war? (Discover Islam)
"War is therefore the last resort, and is subject to the rigorous conditions laid down by the sacred law."
Exploring the scholarly debate about "clash of civilizations" Long before Sept. 11, professors and foreign policy experts weighed in about Huntington's model for viewing the future of international relations. Though many scholars applauded Huntington's daring thesis, many also found flaws in his analysis. Read some critiques of "The Clash of Civilizations?" "...big bets, whether in poker or in academics, often fail. Such is the fate of Huntington's ambitious but seriously flawed effort to chart a new direction in thinking about the future of international relations in the post-Cold War period."
"The basic problem with Huntington's theory, however, is the conviction that all cultures aspire to imperial power."
"Huntington has a point when he gives attention to the phenomenon of resistance against Western dominance, against Western "imperialism" as it is understood in the non-Western world."
"Huntington is not only inaccurate ... but his thesis has the potential to be extremely dangerous if taken as a prescription for making policy."
"Huntington's thesis maximizes the significance of cultural factors and minimizes the importance of nationalism."
"The West obviously differs from all other civilizations that have ever existed in that it has had an overwhelming impact on all other civilizations that have existed since 1500."
"Most Islamic countries do not see themselves to be in conflict with the United States."
"Huntington paints an aggressive picture of the non-Western civilizations – particularly Islam – while ignoring the (mis)deeds of the Western civilization whose dominance is being challenged."
A good collection of related Web links.
"The Clash of Civilizations is a computer strategy game that will sketch out pretty much the whole of history in game form."
|
 |
 ApparelBuy Shoes Business ResourcesFinancialGiftsGraphic DesignHome RemodelingLegal ServicesReal EstateHome Loans Self StorageTravelWeb ServicesCheap Web Hosting |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home | About Us/Help | Feedback | Subscribe | Archive | Print Edition | Site Map | Special Projects | Corrections | ||||
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Rights & Permissions | Advertise With Us | Today's Article on Christian Science | Web Directory | ||||
| www.csmonitor.com | Copyright © 2006 The Christian Science Monitor. All rights reserved. | ||||
;){kind=link}