“The Nature of Western and Islamic Civilizations: Formation, Evolution and Clashes”

Pak Hung Mo, Hong Kong Baptist University

Samuel Huntington suggests that globalization will bring an era of ‘Clash of Civilizations’ in his article (1993) and the related book (1998). However, as rightly observed in Dieter Senghaas (1998), Huntington (1993 & 1998) provides no systematic theory to explain the formation of civilizations and the actual behavior of core representatives. Therefore, making predictions about potential clashes of civilizations and suggesting any new order of world policy and solutions are lack of theoretical supports. In this paper, we analyze the factors responsible for the formation and evolution of the Western and Islamic civilizations in order to understand the roots of their long-lasting clashes, their future and potential settlement.