The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order [Anglais] [Broché]

un tres bon livre qui explique très bien le monde politique et géopolitique. Mais je poserais bien une question : pourquoi cet auteur pourtant très éduqué sur ces sujets sépare les orthodoxes du christianisme?

Having been invitedto provide a feedback on the above theory by Samuel Huntington, I would like to give my first impressions because I have not yet finished reading the entire book. However, there are some very interesting points I would like to refer to.

First : the use of imposed official languages by conquering powers and their afterwards limiting but dynamic return to the roots of the indigenous former languages once the conquering and dominating powers fade away (i.e.India, North Africa, the Levant, etc.). Refering to experience, I asked myself why Mr. Huntington refuses the fact, that knowledge of different languages exposes people to different models of thought. The consequences are not negligeable and can only be discarded within the realm of illiterate societies (and even there the indigenous traditions of some Sub-Sahariens and Amazonians are selective if integrating new aspects of living).

Having said this, even if elements of prior official languages are incorporated and/or diluted by the return to the native languages, the contact with different kinds of thought remains and cannot be entirely discarded. It seems therefore that here the individual is perceived as an unvariable factor in society.

Second: the complicated process of dealing, understaning and integrating Islam into Western political models is a major preoccupation in Huntington's theory. Recent events in the Arab world have shown many cultural subtleties within Islam and it seems that traits and cultural qualities should be determined by context. As is now clear that Arab nations do not simply live in and through circumstances which seem unable to reach the political surface(Tunesia, Lybia, Egypt). I hope to discover how Mr. Huntington understands the nature of historical change since any linear evolution apparently has proven to be wrong.

Having finally completed reading the book, I must express my disappointment in Huntington's theory. His position, according to which civilizations are monolithic blocs of ideas shaping cultures appears to be somewhat focused - to say the least. Furthermore, it is quite impossible to define and maintain that Islam, Confucianism, etc. are cultural entities that must be kept isolated and fought in order to maintain the supremacy of the "West"! This is a polemic text that offers not one possiblity of understanding different cultures but promotes problems, not to say economic and/or military confrontation. Even in today's complicated political world where national key interest are often hidden in nations far apart from each other, I cannot swallow that the "West" is the only model that WE must defend against THEM (in view of his formulation one wants to head right to the exit).

It should be read by any educated European. Most of our so-called political leaders - notwithstanding "our" so-called "spiritual leaders" : the Pope, for instance(Joseph Ratzinger/Benedictus XVI is, I think, a very wise, good person, and an erudite of exceptional caliber. But... "we", us Europeans from european ancestry should feel unprotected in front of the the poor, hungry, north-african et african black populations affliged by a booming demography. Just as we were let down, as Roman Empire citizens, a long time ago, as the early Christians undermined the authorithy and resistance of the pagan empire structure... resulted 1000 years of a very dangerous flirt with obscurantism, bigotry and barbarism).
By the way, I believe Jesus-Christ was resurrected from the dead, and I am not hostile to Christians whatever may be the color of their skin. I will not say anything about the other spiritual leaders from the other religions present in the northern hemisphere, from fear to fall under the rigor of the French law.
J.F. Gille, citoyen français