Abstract Thesis:

In the context of the post-Cold War New World Order particularly during the decades before and after 9/11, this paper will discuss the relevance of this pivotal event to the broader geopolitical situation in the Middle East in recent history that had resulted in the conflict between the United States and Al Qaeda and will seek to examine the claim of the cultural Clash of Civilizations in regards to an apocalyptic vision shared by both Judeo-Christianity and Islam.

This paper will further examine the relevance and criticism of the Clash of Civilizations theory in comparing and contrasting the differing views embodied by the Western cultural perspective, presented by Harvard University political scientist Samuel P. Huntington and Princeton University historian Bernard Lewis with the Islamic cultural perspective held by Columbia University academic Edward Said as well as the infamous prophet of Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden who as the face of terrorism had sought to promote a clash between Islam and Judeo-Christianity in the form of a holy war of jihad, as evidenced in his fatwa declarations.
The paper will then asses the Clash of Civilizations theory from each of the perspectives presented to advance particular agendas on both sides of the broader argument and will seek to prove its relevance and legitimacy in the recent history before and after 9/11 and in recent developments in the Middle East relating to the current situation in global affairs.

PAGE 1-3:
Paragraph 1: Short summary of Samuel Huntington’s Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order (1996) argument and the Clash of Civilizations? Foreign Affairs 1993 article,

Paragraph 2: Summary of Bernard Lewis’ lecture on “Western Civilization: A View from the East,” and “The Roots of Muslim Rage” in The Atlantic Monthly (1990) and What Went Wrong?: Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response (2002)

Paragraph 3: Research criticism of Huntington’s and Lewis’ Clash of Civilizations arguments… (Foreign Affairs) and other sources

Paragraph 4: Research and Summarize debate between Bernard Lewis and Edward Said over the Orientalim (1978)

Paragraph 5: Summary of Edward Said’s perspective on Palestine and criticism of the Clash of Civilizations on how Lewis has lead the neoconservative movement (Kristol, Perle, Wolfowitz) and supported the Global War on Terror in US Foreign Policy.

PAGE 3-5:

Paragraph 1: Summary of the declarations and perspectives of Osama bin Laden on the Clash of Civilizations through his fatwa declarations of War on the “Zionist-Crusader” United States…add more research

Paragraph 2: The New Crusaders and the essence of Al-Qaeda’s post-911 apocalyptic vision of nihilism (“Horses of the Apocalypse”) and destruction compared with Judeo-Christian vision of Messianic Armageddon and Apocalypse…

Paragraph 3: Research The Clash of Civilizations scenario throughout the context of “Modern Crusades” in post-Cold War (World War III) and Global War on Terror (World War IV)

PAGE 5-6:

Paragraph 1: Post-911 Global War on Terror in Afghanistan (2002-present) and Iraq (2003-present) between United States counter-insurgency against the Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam Hussein’s regime overthrow in Iraq. Was it a clash of civilization or not? Yes, reflects modern crusades elements and desired result of Al Qaeda terrorists…relevance to today…

Paragraph 2: Summarize argument from Conflict of Cooperation (2006) and explain how Fukuyama’s solution was Huntington’s problem. Fukuyama’s End of History theory is derived from the Russian émigré philosopher Alexandre Kojeve’s Introduction a la lecture de Hegel, criticism and was relevant in the early 1990s but should be today’s aim towards the future of a universal and unified utopia based on Hegel’s Phenomenology of the Spirit and more research and analysis on the Foreign Affairs 2006 article.

Paragraph 3: Summarize comparison and contrast between the perspectives of Huntington (representing pro-Western American academia) and Lewis (representing the neocons in the US Government) against the opposing views of Said (representing Pro-Islamic American academia) and Bin Laden (representing the terrorist in Al Qaeda).

Paragraph 4: Discuss and access the conflict between “Terrorist” Radical Islam and “Zionist” Judeo-Christianity, the American-European West and the Islamic Middle East, the United States and Al Qaeda, American Government and Academia and Bin Laden and fatwas.

Paragraph 5: Clash of Civilizations and the recent Arab Spring of 2011 and projected implications for the future of the Middle East from US and Al Qaeda Foreign Affairs 2011.

Paragraph 6: Conclusion.

http://www.hks.harvard.edu/fs/pnorris/Acrobat/Abrahamian_Clash.pdf

http://conconflicts.ssrc.org/archives/mideast/wedeen/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ty-mccormick/clash-of-civilizations_b_859960.html