Cultural Divide - Is Samuel Huntington's thesis right?

[Stormin Norman]

In Samuel Huntington’s Book, “The Clash of Civilisations and the Remaking of World Order”, Huntington wrote, “it is my hypothesis that the fundamental source of conflict in this New World will not be primarily ideological or primarily economic. The Great division among human kind will be cultural.” “Culture and cultural identities are shaping patterns of cohesion, disintegration, and conflict in this post-cold war world.”

Would you ideologues agree with this man's hypothesis? Would you put your ideology in the back seat for the sake of your culture? Does the war on terror support his assertion? Has the Islamic world started a paradyme shift in how enemies are defined? Is the Islamic culture ideological in nature? If so, does this present a problem for his hypothesis? What do you think? Do current events represent the results that support this man's hypothesis? Is Huntington's case so strong that he should begin formulating a conclusion?

[Stormin Norman]

Somebody should answer this question. I think it is a very interesting idea that supports some of my own assertions. I am genuinely interested in hearing some of your views on this. In reality, I think this coud spark a good debate if anyone will touch it.

[redstar2000]

I hope you won't take my reply as too flippant, but Mr. Huntington's thesis will be taken more seriously at such time as Mr. Bush and his buddies renounce forever any interest in Middle Eastern oil.

Until then, and at the risk of being seen as a marxist "ideologue", looks like imperialism and old-fashioned economic determinism to me.

[peaccenicked]

SN. How can you have a cultural identity when all you display is barbaric ignorance? The different cultures in the world is hardly new. The people who concentrate on these differences are usually nationalist, racist or imperialist ideolougues.
Marx focuses on the human identity. From Hegel we get the scientific posing of the question as ''the unity of identity and difference" The whole question of either/or
in philosophical question and 'not either/or but both' type questions are in the humanist tradition.
Marx favourite phrase was ''Nothing human is alien to me''
The fundamental conflict in society is class conflict. Huntington and Imperialist ideologues want to shift it to culture and specifically Arab culture, as part of the new cold war.
Socialists are for the maximum unity of workers internationally.
As a Kurdish poet once wrote.

Dont crush my flower.
my flower belongs in the garden.
my flower belongs to you.