Contemporary

Civilizations
Contemporary Civilizations

Western (European)
Islamic
Sinic (Chinese)
Hindu (Indian)
Japanese

Orthodox
Latin American
Religions of the World
85% of the world’s population adheres to some religion

Middle Eastern Religions: Indian Religions:

 Christianity  Hinduism
 Roman Catholicism  Sikhism
 Protestantism  Jainism
 Eastern Orthodox  Theravada Buddhism
Church
 Islam African Religions:
 Shi’ite  Tribal Religions of Sub-Saharan Africa
 Sunni American Religions:
 Judaism  Religions of Indigenous American
 Zoroastrianism Indians
Oceanic Religions:
Far Eastern Religions:  The religions of the Pacific Islanders
 Confucianism  The beliefs of the Aborigines of
 Taoism Australia
 Shinto  The beliefs of the Maoris of New
 Mahayana Buddhism Zealand
Religions of the World in 2015
Cultural Differences among Civilizations

 Civilizations are differentiated from each other by

history, language, culture, tradition and religion.
 The people of different civilizations have different views
on the relations between God and man, the individual
and the group, the citizen and the state, parents and
children, husband and wife, as well as differing views
of the relative importance of rights and responsibilities,
liberty and authority, equality and hierarchy.
 These cultural differences are products of centuries,
which are too fundamental that cannot be changed
easily.
 They are less mutable and therefore less easily
compromised and resolved than political and economic
ones.
Increased Economic Regionalism

 The proportions of total trade that were

intraregional have been rising significantly in
the recent period.
 This successful economic regionalism further
reinforces civilization-consciousness because it
succeed better when is rooted in a common
civilization.
 Common culture is facilitating the rapid
expansion of the economic relations between
the kin countries.
 The cultural commonalities increasingly
overcome ideological differences.
Economic modernization

 As many countries modernize, they need to

absorb the good points from the other developed
countries.
 During this process, countries encounter some
social changes that make countries look
somewhat similar.
 Economic modernization and social change
weaken the national state as a source of identity.
 At this point, religion provides a better basis for
identity as it transcends national boundaries and
unites civilizations.
Between Cooperation and Conflict

 The world is becoming smaller - due to the

rapid development of internet technologies
and the trend of globalization, distance is
no more an excuse for people to isolate
themselves from the others.
 These increasing interactions foster
people’s concerns on the differences and
commonalities between their own
civilization and the others. Conflicts will
occur if these differences and
commonalities are not carefully considered.
Levels of conflict

Micro-level
 adjacent groups along the fault lines
between civilizations struggle over the
control of territory and each other
Macro-level
 states from different civilizations
compete for relative military and
economic power, struggle over the
control of international institution & third
parties and promote particular political
& religious values.
Kin-Country Syndrome

 Kin-country refers to countries that share the

same civilization.
 Instead of political ideology & traditional
balance of power considerations, kin-country
syndrome is becoming the principal basis for
cooperation and coalitions.
 As a result, a world of clashing civilization is a
world of double standards. That is, people
apply one standard to kin-countries and a
different standard to others.
 That is why the conflicts and violence within the
same civilization is less intense and less likely
to expand.
Dual role of the Western Civilization

 West is at the peak of power - influencing the

habits, lifestyles and cultures of other countries.
 At the same time, it is confronting the non-
Western countries - having the desire and ability
to shape the world in a non-Western way.
 The dual role of the West enhances the growth of
civilization-consciousness.
 Secularization
 Rule of law
 Representative bodies
 Individualism and human rights
 Modernization and Westernization
Different views
 As people in other civilization modernize they also westernize
(involves industrialization, urbanization, increasing of level literacy,
education, wealth, and social mobilization and more complex and
diverse occupational structures). People from other cultures who
westernize themselves have forgotten their traditional values and
institutions
 Modernization and technical development doesn’t require
Westernization. In fact, the opposite, that modernization increases
indigenous culture.
 Individual level - the movement of people into unfamiliar regions
breaks their traditional local bonds and creates crisis of identity to
which religion is providing an answer.
 Societal level - the gain of military and economic power motivates the
people to have confidence in their culture.
 global revival of religion, which is most remarkable in Islamic countries,
 In Asia - now attribute their dramatic success in economy on their own
culture.
Westernization - consequences
 Western values like self determination, democracy, freedom of
speech, liberty are used by non-Western countries until they are
powerful enough to denounce them as human rights imperialism.
 The “second generation indigenization” - even though the first
generation of modernizers are educated in western universities, the
following receive their teaching mostly in very traditional universities.
 Democracy paradox - the democracy does often bring results which
are quite opposite to the results it should bring, democracy often
encourage nationalistic, ethnic and religious parties, which make the
society even more parochial, not more cosmopolitan.
 The non-Western countries point the gaps between western
principles and western practice
 democracy is promoted, but not, if it brings Islamic
fundamentalist to power,
 nonproliferation is preached for Iran, but not for Israel,
 free trade is the elixir of economic growth, but not for agriculture,
 human rights are an issue with China, but not with Saudi-Arabia.
 The West versus the Rest
The West in effect is using international institutions, military power and
economic resources to run the world in ways that will maintain
Western predominance, protect Western interests and promote
Western political and economic values.

Western efforts to propagate such ideas produce instead a reaction

against "human rights imperialism“ and a reaffirmation of indigenous
values, as can be seen in the support for religious fundamentalism by
the younger generation in non-Western cultures

Responses to the Westernization:

 Non-Western states course of isolation - to insulate their societies
from penetration or "corruption" by the West, and, in effect, to opt
out of participation in the Western-dominated global community
 Join the west and accept it institutions and values
 attempt to "balance" the West by developing economic and military
power and cooperating with other non-Western societies against
the West, while preserving indigenous values and institutions; in
short, to modernize but not to Westernize
Western among other civilizations

 Differences between civilizations are real and

important and civilization-conscious is
increasing;

 Conflicts between civilizations will supplant

ideological conflicts;

 Western civilization is powerful and has the

majority, while the non-western civilizations,
tend to modernize theirs, trying to maintain
there culture and values.

 Huntington - Implication for the Western policy:

 short term advantage
 long term accommodation
Short term advantage

 promote greater cooperation and unity within its own

civilization
 prevent escalation of local inter-civilization conflicts
 limit the expansion of the military strength of other
civilizations
 moderate the reduction of Western military capabilities &
maintain military superiority
 exploit differences & conflicts among other major
civilizations
 support in other civilizations groups sympathetic to
Western interests & values
 strengthen international institutions that reflect and
legitimate Western interests & values and to promote
involvement of non-Western states in those institutions
Long term accommodation

 maintain economic & military power to

protect its interests
 develop more profound understanding
of other civilizations’ religious &
philosophical assumptions, as well as
the way they see their interests
 identify elements of commonality
between Western & other civilizations
 Multi-polar and multi-civilizational world
Towards a Universal Civilization?

 Further internationalization of trade and

finances

 Digitalization

 Globalization and Anti-globalization

 Global Governance - Possibilities and

Challenges