Huntington Lecture

Civilization Construct Conflict will result from different civilizations clashing National conflict less pronounced “The West,” “Confucian,” “Islam”

Definition of Civilization The highest and broadest grouping of shared cultural values, including language, religion, attitudes about gender and identity Not the same as a nation; a civilization often includes many different nation-states.

Contributing Factors to Civilization Construct Differences between civilizations are basic and profound Interactions between civilizations increasing due to economics, communication, travel As economic pressures erode local and nationalist factors, religion stepping in The West makes all other civilizations want to define themselves differently Economic regionalism increasing as part of civilization process

Is America a civilization, or part of “The West” Iraq war reveals strong differences between US and European interests Although a nation-state, much of what the US does in terms of foreign policy in international settings is “civilizational”

Jihad vs McWorld Essential argument: Nation-states are far less important that they used to be in terms of determining identity. McWorld: the consumerized industrial complex, in which selfhood is tied to commodity identification Jihad: parochial, anti-modern attitudes, often religious Weakened nation-state leaves us with these two essentially anti-democratic alternatives.