The Clash Of Civilizations And The Clash Of Civilizations

Theory III: Clash of Civilizations

Thirdly, the Clash of Civilizations is a theory by Samuel Huntington, which shows that the conflicts that North Korea and South Korea faces in the modern era are caused by differences. On one hand, the war was considered the clash of civilizations at one of two levels: the micro-level. It is when adjacent groups along the fault lines between civilizations struggle violently, over the control of territory and each other. It is clear that North and South Korea fought a gruesome war, and allies of both countries were involved (Huntington). The death toll had reached over 54,000, and this is a clear example of how two neighboring civilizations with different ideologies can clash with each other (CNN). On the other

However, more of the countries’ differences lie in the culture and religions that are the main causes of conflict. In terms of culture, North Korea expresses more of a traditional outlook on life and their political culture involves conforming to the Supreme Leader of the DPRK. In South Korea, there is more openness to opinions, as it is a democracy. In everyday life, South Korea resembles an East Asian country that has democratic views just like the United States. People are less isolated and constrained in South Korea opposed to its Northern counterpart. In a BBC research, journalists have witnessed only some of the key differences between the two countries, due to the DPRK’s extreme isolation from the rest of the world. Some of these examples include how students in North Korea did not know who human rights activist Nelson Mandela was. However when asked which world leaders other than the DPRK leader they admired, they replied “Stalin and Mao Zedong!” (BBC). This shows how students in the current day are still isolated and brainwashed to believe that totalitarianism is a system that should be admired. Also, North Korea’s respect for the Great Leader is immense; even though Kim Sung-il died, North Koreans believe that he is

According to him, “Civilization identity will be increasingly important in the future, and the world will be shaped in large measure by the interactions among seven or eight major civilizations” (Huntington 25). Two of the seven or eight civilizations include Confucian and Western. Huntington’s distinction between these religious entities show the difference between North Korea, which is a country that is driven by Confucian ideals, and South Korea, which is driven by Western religions like Christianity. Though Huntington claims that these are the products of centuries, the only modification to the case of North and South Korea is that the division was purely a result of the Korean War, which took place only 66 years