Clash of civilizations: theory and global conflict

Clash of Civilizations

There is much controversy in regard to Samuel Huntington's theory concerning the clash of civilizations and the reasons for which major conflicts will take place in the future. Whereas most people prefer to believe that some of the divergences that the world is expected to witness in the following years will be fueled by economic and political principles, Huntington puts across his beliefs about how cultural values will represent one of the main motives for which people will go at war against other people. James Cameron's 2009 motion picture Avatar deals with the disagreements that can emerge between two cultures when each of them is dedicated to fight for the principles present in their communities.

One can actually understand Avatar from the perspective of a neutral individual observing the clash that takes place as a result of the fact that some of the main values that the majority of people respect are in discrepancy with the morals of the Na'vi humanoids on Pandora. If viewers were to consider that the two belligerent camps in the film are both humans and that one community was merely interested in exploiting the other's resources, the situation would certainly seem much clearer. People have been accustomed to oppressing other people on account of their cultural, economic, and social convictions. In the present case, the human society is focused on capitalism and on making the most of the resources that it comes across. In contrast, the Na'vi culture is focused on preserving the connection between nature and individuals. Considering that people have always been devoted to exploit natural resources regardless of the effects that their actions had on the environment, it only seems normal to consider that the well-being of their principles was put at risk by the fact that the Na'vi were unable to understand the alleged importance of capitalizing on resources. A person who is familiar with international affairs at the moment can easily conclude that the human society's interest in exploiting resources on Pandora is relatively similar to the Western world's concern about controlling and taking advantage of the oil in the Middle East. It is probable that Cameron inspired his film from the traditional conflict between Christianity and Islam. Some of the most influent forces in society have been devoted to impose their power over the rest of the world, similar to how humans did not hesitate to take up arms against the Na'vi when the latter did not want to comply with the former's requests.