Is Dialogue among Civilizations a True Remedy for Clash of Civilizations? Rethinking Civilizationist Categories with Reference to Turkey EU Relations

Abstract

In the aftermath of 9/11, the search for a response to growing global conflicts which could challenge Samuel Huntington's clash of civilizations thesis and go beyond the US-promoted strategies of war on terror set in motion the dialogue among civilizations initiative. Interestingly, 2001 was also the Year of Dialogue among Civilizations. From the very beginning, Turkey has been perceived as a model country for civilizational dialogue. Turkish government has played a leading role in the institutionalization of the initiative as the Alliance of Civilizations Platform supported by the UN, and Istanbul hosted the Second Forum of UN Alliance of Civilizations. In February 2002, the Turkish government, then headed by the center-left Democratic Left Party, organized a joint forum of the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) and EU member and candidate countries in Istanbul. As in various other fields of social sciences, civilizational thinking is warmly welcomed in international politics and the dialogue among civilizations project has gained a wide audience. © Mojtaba Mahdavi and W. Andy Knight 2012. All rights reserved.