Samuel Huntington and "The Clash of Civilizations"

I have embedded the videos related to Huntington's geopolitics below. You can use this space to discuss this set of ideas more generally as well.

Here is the interview with Charlie Rose that we screened in class:

SAMUEL HUNTINGTON ON THE 'CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS' from Anwar Deef on Vimeo.

 And here are the responses from Noam Chomsky and Edward Said. Take note of how both Said and Chomsky critique Huntington's thesis by questions his premises rather than his conclusions.

 

 

Comments

[Maura H]

I appreciate how both of them critique the premises of Samuel Huntiington's book. What really stuck out for me, was the mention of the questionable sources that Mr (or is it Dr.?) Huntington's opinion came from. We learn early, to utilize scholarly sources in opposed to mass media articles.

[Mohammed Alsalman]

I have to agree with Samuel Hintington intereview video. He addresses the world civilizations each layers and then he discuss conflicts and reasons each civilization see others differently LIKE cultures in societies the clash of civilizations.

[Chuck Caster]

I was thinking the same Maura. I still am interested in how it would appear that he strongly believes in his positions even when interviewers are poking holes in it left and right and despite mass critique. Are there any published rebuttals of his in response to the critics?

[LeAnn]

Chomsky is very adamant that Huntington’s thesis isn’t based on facts, that the first thing you should ask when hearing a new idea is whether its facts are solid, and he claims Huntington’s aren’t. Civilizations have been clashing for decades prior to the Cold War, and they’ve clashed for decades since. Just because he started looking at it in a certain situation doesn’t mean that’s the only situation in which it exists.