Culture Clash: The Most Pressing Issue Today

The 21st century brings an entire new level of global integration to every nation. The days are long gone where a nation was able to control its own economy without worrying about outside influences as a primary contributing factor. The recent global economic crisis has shown us all that when one nation’s economy tumbles, the rest follow. This brings back thoughts of the domino theory during the days of communism. However, today it is even more serious. Instead of a battle between two ideologies, this phenomenon of global economic integration will affect every nation that has any sort of interaction with any other. In the modern day, the number of nations who remain unattached through trade of products, capital, information, ideas, and people can easily be counted on a single hand. Nations such as Iceland, Japan, and even perennial economic powers such as the United States and those of Western Europe were all catastrophically affected by the global financial crisis. The reason that all nations were so affected comes from this, to use an overused phrase, globalization that has been as Thomas Friedman would put it, “making the world flat.”
The European Union is perhaps the greatest example of this as the member nations have found a way to retain their individualities and political independence while creating a global economic power that rivals the longstanding hegemony of the United States. While this may be the most extreme of examples, along the way international investments, increases in technology, and the opening of the world to foreign influences has brought all nations closer together. Along with this come problems. Perhaps the most pressing of these problems is the overlapping of distinct cultures. The global war on terror is an example of how the insertion of the capitalist culture into an area of the world that had remained highly isolated from its influence created new enemies. Not that everyone from the Muslim world hates the capitalist structure and culture; many have in fact benefitted from it and stand to continue to do so. However, with a new center of power always come people who have had their positions weakened and will therefore want to fight against the new power. The problem is exacerbated when the, for lack of better words, invading culture has not made a proper effort to learn about the indigenous culture and instead tries to replace it. When indigenous people feel attacked and belittled by an invader, there are bound to be individuals who choose to fight against it to protect their honor, their history, and their culture. This problem is not an easy one to fix. In many ways, the war has already begun in the case of the war on terror and without drastic changes, it will continue. It is incredibly difficult to go from being the “bad guy” to becoming accepted by people who know you only through bombs and soldiers. Education, rebuilding of infrastructure, democracy, and perhaps simply open signs of friendship may help to ease these tensions and make this less of a problem. With other cultures, it has been less of an issue, so perhaps it can become less of one throughout the Muslim world with enough effort on both parts.