In the The Clash of Civilizations? Samuel P. Huntington provocatively laid down the global fault lines of the post Cold War era. Huntington sees the West as involved in an unavoidable collision with two major civilizations—Islamic and Confucian. This controversial thesis, originally published in Foreign Affairs and now developed into a book, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, is said to have generated more comments than any other contribution to Foreign Affairs in recent times. It is curious that Huntington is not a specialist in either of the civilizations he has singled out as a potential “enemy”.This volume provides critical responses from representatives of Confucian and Islamic cultures to Huntington’s provocative thesis. These essays, representing thoughtful work of scholars from seven countries, will provide readers with a well-rounded picture of the issues raised by Huntington. The volume begins with a reprint of Huntington’s own essay, which is not widely available, in order to provide readers familiarity with the original.
Salim Rashid is a Professor of Economics at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He obtained a Ph.D. from Yale University in 1976. His present area of interest is Development Economics. He has consulted for the UNDP, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank. His articles have appeared in various journals including The Economic Journal, Journal of Economic Theory, Econometrica, Journal of Mathematical Economics, Economica, History of Economic Ideas, and International Economic Review. Among his books are Economies with Many Agents, The Myth of Adam Smith, and Economic Policy for Growth. UPL has published two of his edited volumes on Rotting from the Head: Donors and LDC Corruption and The Clash of Civilizations?: Asian Responses.