THE EPISCOPAL NEW YORKER

A Conflict in Perspective

 

Introduction


An Historical Overview of the Middle East


Through a Glass, Darkly


Working to Bridge the Gaps Between Civilizations

 

 

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Introduction

By Mary Beth Diss
In his famous article, “The Clash of Civilizations?” from Foreign Affairs in 1993, Samuel Huntington made a case for the new divisions of the world — by culture.
With the end of the Cold War, international politics moves out of its Western phase, and its centerpiece becomes the interaction between the West and non-Western civilizations and among non-Western civilizations. In the politics of civilizations, the peoples and governments of non-Western civilizations no longer remain the objects of history as targets of Western colonialism but join the West as movers and shapers of history.

More than a decade later, Huntington’s words seem eerily prophetic. Regardless of the infallibility of his hypothesis on world conflict, the United States finds itself in what can be amounted to a cultural clash with Islam. It is not that Americans wanted such a conflict, nor did they necessarily set out to create such animosity between Muslims and Americans/Westerners/Christians. But the point is, the clash occurred, the attacks of September 11 happened and the United States is now heavily involved in the restructuring of two almost completely Muslim-populated countries — Afghanistan and Iraq. There have also been anti-American/anti-Western actions in other Muslim areas, such as in the Philippines, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.

The best ways of bridging the “gap” between civilizations is through education. Understanding the other culture is essential to understanding the crux of the conflict. Following are articles that attempt to shed light on aspects of Islam and the Middle East that give perspective to a conflict based a great deal on reactions and unfortunate consequences.

The history of the land in the Middle East reveals just how complicated the situation is and has been for thousands of years. And the current American perspective of the Middle East is heavily influenced by the American media, as is the perspective from the Middle East influenced by the local media, namely al-Jazeera. How much of what we know is determined by the journalists covering the news, and how can we be truly informed? As well, there is an article that shows how many members of the Episcopal Diocese of New York are working to bridge the gap both here and abroad.