The Clash of Civilizations?

website ^ | 04-11-02 | Samuel P. Huntington

[backhoe]

Here 'tis--

[headsonpikes]

Rome v. Carthage was an early 'Clash of Civilizations'.

This is not new. Do we have the stomach for the task?

That is the big question.

[Ronin]

Bumped and printed for later study.

[Frohickey]

...the failure of Western ideas of socialism and nationalism and hence "re-Islamization" of the Middle East... I wish that this Western idea was treated like a step-child by the west. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people, especially in the blue zones, that think its a good idea.

Hmm... that snippet makes me want to be an Islamite.... nah.

[backhoe]

Thanks for looking.... whether or not we still have the Iron of the Soul that earlier generations of Americans had really is the question, isn't it?

I do see a lot of frivolity and decadence in modern culture- especially the last dozen years. And yet, people don't change a whole lot from one generation to another- the WWII-era Americans aren't far removed from this generation. It will be "interesting...."

[dennisw]

Holy cow...I posted it too. You can ask the admin to nuke mine

[metesky]

Do we have the stomach for the task?

I think we do, my friend.

What we are sorely lacking is political leaders with the gonads and drive of an Alexander.

Or a Churchill.

[Free the USA]

I have read the book, I may come back and read this to see if there is anything new or different. My problem with Profesor Huntington is that he sees no superiority in Western society over the current incarnation of Muslim or Confucian society. He sees all societies as equal with western society having reached its peak and in decline while both China and Islam are in their ascendency. This is partially true but the superiority of western ideals can allow us to survive and win the Clash of Civilizations.

[Bob J]

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CLICK HERE! Listen while you FReep!

[thinktwice]

the WWII-era Americans aren't far removed from this generation

Many lessons from WW-II seem to be unknown to those born in later years. President Bush, for example, seems to think that Palestinian suicide bombers are "evil terrorists" while people in the Islamic world see them as heros.

President Bush wasn't around when Allied WW-II pilots killed entire city populations -- in Tokyo, Dresden, Hiroshima, Nagasaki ... -- while Japanese Kamikazi suicide pilots were killing themselves in a last ditch effort to defeat their enemy.

WW-II, in fact, is probably a prime example of civilizations clashing at what the author calls ... "The macro level."

[SR71A]

I've saved this article for further study. But I have problems with calling the struggle with Islam as a "clash of civilizations" -- Islam is an anti-civilization. Its' only ideas were created in the 8th century, with no progress since then. The main goal for them seems to be to drag the rest of the world back to the Dark Ages where they seem to be happiest.

[ppaul]

BUMP for reference and further review.

[ppaul]

[backhoe]

You can ask the admin to nuke mine

Wouldn't dream of it- some people who miss mine will see yours.

[nunya bidness]

This is the essay I was talking about the other day.

[Askel5]

and, most important, religion

I'm going to stop right there for a moment (print it out while I still have power =) and state my belief the cosmic clash will come between East and West (on whose faultline is Russia and her vast melting pot which was brought to a boil, IMHO, by the militant atheism which so distinguished the futuristy and the Narodnay Volya's terrorist vitality from the spent and decaying "Enlightened" who were Revolution's progeny in the West proper.)

The Western Energy that Dethrones Tyrants (it's NOT the perverted bloodlust of the French Revolution, btw =)

Not that we aren't working very hard to destroy ourselves (further to last night's comment on useful idiots): The West's War on Christianity Goes Largely Unreported

[nunya bidness]

I'm going to stop right there for a moment (print it out while I still have power =) and state my belief the cosmic clash will come between East and West (on whose faultline is Russia and her vast melting pot which was brought to a boil, IMHO, by the militant atheism which so distinguished the futuristy and the Narodnay Volya's terrorist vitality from the spent and decaying "Enlightened" who were Revolution's progeny in the West proper.)

You said East and West and then qualified it with militant atheism. In effect admitting religion: a set of beliefs concerning the nature and purpose of the universe... is at the core of the conflict.

Read on. The foundation of culture/civilizations can be rooted in religion. And the conflict can be based on those same principles.

[Askel5]

I have a book I want you to get if you're serious about this line of thinking.

Militant atheism is the catalyst for the deconstruction of the West (and all the West touches) as well as the Triangulation of the People of the Book.

These two events combined will make it a cakewalk for the Hegemon.

Mark my words. The East operates on empty spaces ... study the game of "Go".