ISLAM IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

Gonda Yumitro

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The “End of History,” Fukuyama (1989) victory of political and economic liberalism “Endpoint of humankind’s ideological evolution”

much of the world is indeed mired in history, having neither economic growth nor stable democracy nor peace. But the end of the Cold War marked an important turn in international relations, since for the first time the vast majority of the world’s great powers were stable, prosperous liberal democracies. While there could be skirmishes between countries in history, like Iraq, and those beyond it, the United States, the prospect of great wars between great powers had suddenly diminished.” 2

+ Huntington critisized fukuyama ideas. Conflict in the modern era, for Huntington, has been largely a sequence of;

(a) conflicts between princes (what we will study as the “Westphalian system”), then

(b) conflicts between nation-states (after the French revolution), then

(c) conflicts between ideologies (during the Cold War)

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Huntington is reproducing what we might call a ‘neo-Hegelian’ view of history (history as unfolding through conflict)

Assumes that the end of the Cold War is a defining moment in history, “a tipping point”

Assumes that civilizations are fairly fixed over time

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For Huntington, this means that international politics, hitherto, was in a western phase; non-western civilizations were the objects of history, the targets of western colonialism. In the post-Cold War, they “join the West as the movers and shapers of history”.

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HUNTINGTON’S ARGUMENT

Traditional sources of state conflict receding Territory, economic benefits, ideology

Politics of identity replacing politics of interest

Main competing groups no longer states, classes or ideologies but civilizations

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WHAT IS A CIVILIZATION?

• Largest entity with which person can identify short of humanity

• Three attributes: objective, subjective, and dynamic.

(1) Objective elements include language, history, religion, customs, institutions

(2) Subjective elements include variable levels of self-identification

(3) Civilizations are dynamic; they rise and fall, divide and merge

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Defined by common ancestry, values, language, and/or religion

Major civilizations Sinic/Chinese, Japanese, Hindu, Western, Slavic-

Orthodox, Islam Latin America and Africa candidates for

civilization

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RELATIONS AMONG CIVILIZATIONS CHANGING No longer defined by Western influence on

other civilizations West declining

economic slowdown, population decline, internal decay, loss of identity

Sinic and Islamic civilizations ascending Economic success of Asia Demographic explosion in Islamic world

Balance of power shifting

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Nation-states may not disappear, singular civilizations will not become the norm. But;

(1) civilization-consciousness is increasing and will become the dominant source of conflict

(2) The west will need to strengthen its own civilization to meet the challenge

(3) The West will need to better understand other civilizations and seek to define areas of potential co-existence

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WHY WILL CIVILIZATIONS CLASH?

(1) Differences between civilizations are more fundamental and enduring than ideological or political differences. Difference real and basic

(2) Interactions between civilizations are increasing. World smaller due to globalization. Economic regionalism growing.

(3) Economic modernization and social change are separating people from longstanding identities; they weaken the nation-state as a source of identity.

(5) The rest of the world is increasingly willing to define itself in non-Western ways. Backlash against West enhances civilization consciousness. Western policies exacerbate relations. Non-proliferation, human rights, immigration, others

(6) Cultural characteristics are less mutable and less easily compromised than political and economic ones. Fundamentalist religion stronger

(7) Economic regionalism is increasing, which will increase “civilization consciousness”. Common culture, Huntington argues, may be a prerequisite for economic integration.

WHERE IS THE POSITION OF ISLAM?

The biggest challenge to the West will come from an emerging Confucian-Islamic connection, primarily concentrated around the asserted right to develop and deploy NBC weapons (counter to the western value of non-proliferation).

Post colonialisme, Islam get momentum to be powerful in term of politics, economic and cultural. Islamic resurgence in some countries are appeared

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Those conditions are influenced by some factors:a. Rich natural resourcesb. Big number of followersc. Spiritual and ideological Bankd. Transnational Islamic movements in doing dakwahe. OIC and Islamization movements in some

countriesf. Fundamentalist Islam

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• kristen : 2, 1 milyar + islam: 1,6 milyar

• Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist: 1.1 milyar + Hindu: 900 juta

Chinese traditional religion: 394 juta Buddhism: 376 juta + Primal-indigenous: 300

juta +African Traditional & Diasporic: 100 juta + Sikhism: 23 juta + Spiritism: 15 juta +Judaism: 14 juta

http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html

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AMERICAN RESEARCH??

Why Do We Think They Hate Us?

“Our democracy and freedom" (26%)“Our support for Israel" (22%)“Our values and way of life" (20%)“Our influence on the economy and lives of Middle Eastern countries" (17%)“Our economic and military power” (11%)