The Clash of Civilizations Thesis: From the Securitization of the Realm of Ideas to the Manufacturing of Terrorism

Abstract

This study attempts to dissect Samuel Huntington’s “Clash of Civilizations” thesis, which he presented as an attempt to interpret the new dynamics of international relations in the post-Cold War era. This theory assumes that future conflicts will emerge between different civilizations based on their cultural and religious differences, rather than political and economic ones. This vision summoned the philosophy of conflict as a central actor and ignored the universal, immutable reality of interaction, integration, harmony, and dialectical engagement among cultures and civilizations. This, in turn, led to the emergence of the phenomenon of the securitization of the realm of ideas and beliefs, which created an environment conducive to violence and counter-violence, and encouraged individuals and groups to resort to violence as a means of expressing resistance to cultural and political hegemony. It also fostered a tendency toward conflict, domination, and civilizational egocentrism, which directly contributed to the generation and manufacturing of terrorism in its various political, religious, and ideological contexts, and to its transition from the local to the global.