CHRIST UNIVERSITY
Research Paper
on
THE CLASH OF CIVILISATIONS AND THE REMAKING OF WORLD ORDER
Preeti John Puliyankunnel
Registration number: 08PG4029
MCN 371
September 2009
Department of Media Studies
Christ University
Bangalore
International relations is a field of application and study that has in recent years gained
impetus owing to the need for maintaining good, friendly, cordial relations with other
states in times of widespread global conflict. The study of the field has emerged to
understand past relations, prevalent trends as well as future patterns.
Many theories and theses have been propounded to explain and present the many facets of
international relations. There are many historical theories that have evolved through time,
which still hold true. There are also a few theories that have emerged in the last 30 years or
so that could seemingly be more relevant to modern international relations since they exist
to explain the present scenario.
The Clash of Civilisations theory propounded by political scientist late Samuel P.
Huntington first appeared as an article published in the Foreign Affairs journal in 1993.
Applicable to the field of international relations and global politics, the article was
elaborated into a theory, exploring issues raised by Huntington in the original piece, as
well as identifying the potential cause of and protection against war. The Clash of
Civilisations and the Remaking of World Order was published in 1996.
The theory, in its essences talks about a global conflict arising post the breakup of the
Soviet Union in a non-Cold War world. Lucubrating over the same with historical
relevance as well as modern day contexts, Huntington deliberates over the role of religion
and culture in dividing the world into civilizations, thus presenting a scenario of global
tension and possible war.
It is important to note that Huntington doesnt have any clear precise criteria through which
he identifies the countries that make up each civilisation. Multiple factors including
religion, geographical proximity and language are cited as reasons for the formation of
these civilisations. Another point of significance is that Huntington doesnt define nor
specific the exact number of civilisations anywhere in his book. Thus, the ambiguity of the
very term is something that led to much debate about the authenticity of the theory and his
thesis.
He propagates that conflicts will arise amongst civilisations purely because of their
inherent differences. Further, he states that some civilisations are predisposed to dislike
another thus leading to constant tensions and a situation perpetually conducive to conflict.
Conflicts between the Western and Islamic worlds are nothing new, and are constant
