A Cure for the Clash? (The West, Islam and the Bush administration)

The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies ^ | February 11, 2004 | Clifford D. May

[quidnunc]

Early in the final decade of the last century, Harvard professor Samuel Huntington offered what seemed an eccentric prediction. While others saw economic, political and ideological tempests ahead, he glimpsed different and darker clouds on the horizon.

“The great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural,” he forecast. “The principal conflicts of global politics will occur between nations and groups of different civilizations. The clash of civilizations will dominate global politics. The fault lines between civilizations will be the battle lines of the future.”

It is for scholars such as Dr. Huntington to warn of the storms ahead. It is for statesman to guide their nations — and their civilizations — through them.

But in the afterglow of the Cold War, most politicians — on the left and right alike — ignored Dr. Huntington's prophesy. The year he wrote the words quoted above, 1993, the World Trade Center was attacked — for the first time. President Clinton did not visit the site. Government prosecutors pursued the perpetrators but made no serious attempt to discover which regimes or terrorist organizations were responsible. (Among the key figures were Ramzi Yousef, who had entered the United States on an Iraqi passport, and Abdul Rahman Yasin, who came to New York from Baghdad and returned to Baghdad afterwards. Were those two working for Osama bin Laden or for Saddam Hussein? Or both? Intelligence analysts are still not certain.)

The inattention of the political class was shared by ordinary Americans more interested in spending their “peace dividend” than worrying about some strange extremists blowing up buildings to make a statement.

Today, we are at least attempting to figure out what is happening, and why, and what to do about it. Not all of our efforts will be successful.

-snip-

[quidnunc]

Quote:

The Bush administration hopes it is formulating a better, broader and more thoughtful approach to the clash of civilizations. The outlines are to be presented to French and other European diplomats in the weeks ahead. A formal announcement is planned for the G-8 summit to be held in June at Sea Island, Ga.

[Belisaurius]

"Peace Dividend"...what a crock that was. Whoever coined that phrase should be sent to Gitmo.

[counterpunch]

I was expecting to read about Robert Smith and Joe Strummer.

[nuconvert]

"it won't work unless the U.S. stays seriously engaged – which implies that diplomacy must continue to be backed by the credible threat of military action against those whose oppress, aggress and terrorize."

"Credible threat" ..... essential

[nuconvert]

London Calling?