Unexpected convergence: the Huntington/Fukuyama debate
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Date
2014
Authors
Georghiou, Costa
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
Two theories that have drawn particular attention in international politics, especially
to explain global post-Cold War developments, are those of Huntington’s (1993)
Clash of civilizations and Fukuyama’s (1992) The end of history and the last man.
There is a great deal of literature on the mutually contradictory views of these two
authors; however, the literature hardly mentions the actual unexpected areas of
convergence between these two theorists, which this article aims to draw out.
Four pertinent questions addressed by Huntington and Fukuyama are considered,
namely the universality of Western civilisation; the role of the state; modernisation
versus Westernisation, and worldwide acceptance or rejection of liberal democracy,
as they relate specifically to the central aim of this article. It is precisely because of
their differences, that these two distinct theories are now presenting themselves as
alternatives in international relations: one can either see the world to be developing
toward its final liberal democratic destination, or, alternatively on a multi-polar,
civilisation-divergent course. As the search for a single paradigm within debates on
international relations continues, a convergence between two major theories, such
as these, is important, as they provide one more step toward consensus between
opposing views on international political developments.
Description
Keywords
Clash of civilizations (1993), Huntington, Samuel P., The end of history and the last man (1992), Fukuyama, Francis, Western civilisation, Westernisation, Modernisation
Citation
Georghiou, Costa. (2014). Unexpected convergence: the Huntington/Fukuyama debate. Acta Academica, 46(2), 35-52.