On December 18, 2006, the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences hosted a scientific conference "Conflicts at the Junctions of Civilizations", organized by the Department of Complex Problems of International Relations of the Institute.

The conference was attended by researchers and teachers of higher educational institutions. About 20 people made presentations. A wide range of issues related to the theoretical and political-practical aspects of inter-civilizational conflicts at the turn of the XX and XXI centuries were discussed.

Opening the conference, Head of the Department of Complex Problems of International Relations of the Institute of International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences A. M. Khazanov said that the role of civilizations, cultural and civilizational differences between countries and peoples in world history and especially at the present stage of development is the subject of fierce disputes among historians, political scientists and philosophers. The publication of S. Huntington's article "Clash of Civilizations" in 1993, which caused a wide response in political and scientific circles, gave particular urgency to these disputes. The task of our conference, the speaker noted, is to contribute to this discussion, to exchange views on the role of civilizational contradictions in international relations and conflicts, because the truth lies at the intersection of different views. This exchange of ideas is always very useful; the strong have something to show, and the weak have something to learn.

Yu. K. Knyazev (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) in his report "Inter-civilizational and national-state conflicts" noted that a classic example of an inter-civilizational clash can now be considered a protracted and bloody conflict between the West, led by the United States, and the Muslim world that has engulfed the entire globe. This conflict replaced the long-standing confrontation between capitalism and socialism. According to the speaker, the Muslim world feels an aggressive attack on its age-old values of Western standards, which not only affect, but also threaten the foundations of the daily life of entire peoples. Therefore, he actively defends himself, bearing in mind that the best defense is an attack. There is a real civilizational conflict here, the uncompromising nature of which forces both sides to fight to the point of mutual destruction. As for numerous other conflicts, the speaker noted, they usually have a national-state nature.

page 160

They were generated by the spontaneous collapse of two states-the USSR and Yugoslavia. Some of the peoples living in them, separated by internal borders, did not want to be automatically and forever separated from their fellow citizens who found themselves in other states.

V. F. Sychev (Russian State Social University) in his report "Globalization and the fate of modern civilizations" tried to identify the connection between globalization and intercivilizational conflicts. In his opinion, the clashes and conflicts of world civilizations were mainly generated by extremist approaches to the implementation of economic and political goals of national development. The clash of civilizations that took place, as a rule, caused serious damage to the development of participants in these conflicts on both sides. Nevertheless, the motivation to create did not just persist, but, on the contrary, significantly increased. According to the speaker, the current stage of globalization, which is ostensibly aimed at strengthening friendly relations between peoples, is in fact a continuation of the conflict of civilizations. The ambitious moods of the Western participants in the past Cold War-era clashes in the face of the powerful growth of communication media in the world, in fact, continue the past trends - to capture and transform the economy, culture and national traditions of other peoples. The current leaders of globalization are destroying the motivation for creativity in the development of the peoples of the world, replacing it with thoughts of squandering natural resources in the name of obtaining immeasurable material wealth in any way.

N. B. Lebedeva (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) in her report "On the issue of conflicts at the junction of civilizations" analyzed the concept of a clash of civilizations by S. Huntington. She noted that not everyone in the world scientific community shares this concept. Thus, R. Scalapino, president of the Asia Society in the United States, felt that the Huntington concept should be forgotten. From the point of view of the overwhelming majority of scientists, the prevailing trend is the homogenization of cultures or, in a broader context, the homogenization of civilizations that are becoming increasingly interconnected, rather than preserving them in their original purity and isolation from each other.

A. S. Kadyrbayev (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) in his report "East Turkestan and the Uyghur question in modern geopolitics "analyzed the international aspect of the Uyghur problem. Noting that the Uyghurs in China "feel colonized," the speaker stated: "Young Uyghurs are also inspired by the democratic demonstrations of their peers in China itself in 1989 in Tiananmen Square and the success of Muslim movements on the world stage - Albanians in Kosovo, Kurds in Iraq, Bosnians in the Balkans, Palestinians in the Middle East, the formation of independent Muslim communities in the Middle East. states in Central Asia after the collapse of the USSR, whose peoples are so close to them in ethno-cultural and linguistic relations." As the speaker noted, public organizations of Kazakh Uighurs from Uyghur communities outside the PRC are active in supporting the movement for the separation of East Turkestan from China, which has repeatedly led to an aggravation of their relations with the leadership of the Republic of Kazakhstan in recent years, fearing a negative reaction from the Chinese authorities. In his opinion, the chances of the Uighur separatist movement to separate East Turkestan from the PRC are small, especially since the Chinese authorities generally control the situation in the region. The Uyghur resistance is deeply underground, and it has failed to attract other non-Chinese peoples in the region to its side.

B. V. Dolgov (Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences) in his report "Islamism in the context of inter-civilizational interaction"* tried to analyze the phenomenon of Islamism on the example of the situation in the Arab-Muslim world, the reasons for its occurrence, and answer the question whether in reality the clash of civilizations exists as a conflict of different cultures with different value orientations, being in a state of B. V. Dolgov concluded that Islamic civilization in general and Islamism in particular do not carry an immanent antagonism and rejection of Western civilization, culture and value orientations as such. The speaker referred to the statement of the prominent French researcher F. Burgh that " the basic fundamental civilizational values of humanity are the common heritage of all cultures, religions and civilizations." As a result of globalization, the differences that naturally exist between Western and Muslim cultures are gradually eroding and, of course, cannot cause a conflict of civilizations.

U. Z. Sharipov (Institute of International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences) in his report "Inter-civilizational conflicts in the Persian Gulf" analyzed the current political and military situation in this region.-

* The journal version of B. V. Dolgov's report will be published in one of the next issues.

page 161

beginning of the XXI century He paid particular attention to the consequences of the US war against Iraq in 2003, as well as the deterioration of relations between the West and Iran. It is impossible not to take into account, the speaker noted, the very aggressive attitude towards Iran of the Bush administration, which, having reached a dead end in Iraq and fearing an increase in anti-American sentiment in the Persian Gulf region and in the Middle East as a whole, is looking for new "culprits"here. Therefore, a military action of the Pentagon against Iran is not excluded (probably, bombing of nuclear facilities of this country).

And L. Fadeev (IB RAS) in the report " The Pendulum of political Islam. Radical and moderate Islamist groups in the countries of the Middle East "quoted the famous American political scientist A. Pipes:" Muslim countries have the most terrorists and the least democracy." According to the speaker, the growth of Islamist movements in Muslim countries blocks weak trends towards separation of powers and tolerance in society. Islamists are convinced that there can be no tolerance for those whom they consider enemies of Islam. They cannot offer any noteworthy political model. According to the speaker, radical Islamism is a huge civilizational iceberg. Terrorism and violence form only the top of it. And the underwater part of it is the deep rootedness of Islamism in the history of Islam and Muslim countries, in the radical ideological trends that emerged earlier, ensuring its strength, stability and authority among the masses of Muslims. Osama Bin Laden's brand of "holy terror" is an integral part of radical Islamism. Extremist movements will continue to gain strength until moderate Muslims consistently and decisively oppose them. Until now, extremists in the world of Islam rely on the support of a considerable part of the rural population, the urban lower classes, the petty bourgeoisie, and many people from among the bureaucracy, intelligentsia, and students.

A. M. Khazanov in his report "Western Democracy and the East" criticized the concept that is popular in the United States, claiming that Western democracy is a universal model suitable for everyone. Meanwhile, this democracy is a form of statehood generated by the European system of political values. This is a western flower that is difficult to take root in the field of Afro-Asian countries, the speaker said. All too often, he said, Arab democrats and their allies have been frustrated when the introduction of democratic institutions has been followed by their elimination, regression, and renewed repression. The reforms were superficial, and their impact was subtle. The speaker stated that now the collapse of American expectations related to regime change in Iraq is obvious in relation to the region as a whole. Along with daily reminders of the violence that has plagued the country, the chaotic process of constitutional construction has revealed the utter failure of the Bush administration's predictions of a democratic "domino effect" that would result from the invasion of Iraq.

In his report "Interethnic conflicts as a threat to the national security of Kazakhstan" S. E. Sakhiyev (Institute of Internal Affairs of the Russian Academy of Sciences) analyzed interethnic problems of Kazakhstan. He noted that, according to political scientists, the main threats to the existence of Kazakhstan as an independent state can be arranged in order of importance as follows: internal destabilization, interethnic conflicts, danger coming from Central Asia (primarily from Uzbekistan), "Chinese onslaught". According to the speaker, there are two possible scenarios of the beginning-the cause of collisions: 1) the initiative of the Kazakhs of the southern regions, more precisely, the marginal lumpenized part of the ethnic group in large urban centers. The main slogans: "We are the owners of our land", "Kazakhstan is for Kazakhs" , etc.; 2) activation of Russian separatists, Cossack movements in the industrial North and East. The main slogans are: "Down with discriminatory language policies", "Give dual citizenship", etc. The underlying causes of possible conflicts should not be sought within the economy alone, although it is economic problems that can be the main "detonator" of the explosion. The main "Bickford cords" lie in the field of psychology and are partly irrational. These are cultural, civilizational and ethno-psychological differences, dissatisfaction with self-realization, etc.

Summing up the conference, A. M. Khazanov noted that the discussion was useful and helped to identify different points of view on the possibility of a clash of civilizations. The exchange of ideas that took place during the conference, he said, was very productive and will undoubtedly be an incentive for new research on the problems of intercivilizational interactions.

Permanent link to this publication: