Alliance of Civilizations ?

Not a day goes by without hearing that the world needs more communication, more dialogue, more understanding. September 11, 2001 has stood, for the last 10 years, as a revealing tragedy. Ever since, we have been talking more and more about “civilizations”, “clash”, “dialogue”, “alliance”, etc. Some politicians and intellectuals support the idea there is a “clash of civilizations” (reducing Huntington’s views to a single proposition) while others deny such a conflict with the utmost energy, championing “dialogue” and calling for an “alliance.” Underlying these contradictory ideological positions, we find a similar perception of the world. There is an “us” and (or versus) “them;” there is “our” identity, different from “theirs.” “Our” civilization and “theirs:” everything revolves around a cultural and/or religious belonging that predetermines any understanding of the world, of justice, freedom and human dignity. It is more about culture than politics, more about understanding than power: this is what we are invited to buy.

No one can deny that the globalized world is challenging our old understandings, questioning our identities and sense of belonging, and shaking up our collective and respective comfort zones. These are difficult times and the feeling of insecurity, nurtured by fears and doubts, can be found around the world, in the West as well as in Africa, Asia and America. No doubt we need more education and understanding about our own history, culture, religion, values and we need to be taught (and to teach) other cultures, religions and visions of the world. Dealing with pluralism means, of course, to be open to the world, to listen, to communicate and to learn—beyond only tolerating—to respect people’s beliefs and sensitivities. Thus, it is critical to reform the curricula of our schools; to teach more history, philosophy, religions and the arts: these are the fields and the disciplines that would equip the future generations to deal with diversity, face the challenges of an increasingly complex world and eventually improve communication and respect between societies, cultures and religions.

It will not be easy. In our “social networking” era it is easy to confuse “connecting” with communication. Connecting, in the virtual and real world, seems to be more about exchanging words, sharing information, driven at the same rapid pace on Internet or in daily life. Young people are open, fast, and reactive. But this does not mean they are equipped for understanding, pondering and experiencing intellectual empathy. It is not because the words and the means are the same, in our global modern world, that feelings and perceptions are similar. When it comes to communication and dialogue, it is critical to think of the psychological factors: feeling good about where you are, and from where you speak, is an essential condition. Talk about citizenship, cultures or religions is fine, but if the sense of belonging is missing then citizenship, cultures or religions can be used to exorcise our fears and lack of confidence. Immigrants, foreigners or “alien” religions become enemies. When we look at how well the populist parties are doing around the world, it becomes clear that the young generations are not protected from such dangers.

The most worrying fact is the way these psychological factors are used and misused in the political arena. Either we play with people’s lack of confidence and fears (with talk of a “clash of civilizations), or we call for dialogues or alliances as the ultimate remedy to our difficulties. We talk about “civilizations” and “religions” the better to avoid addressing politics, economy, interests, and power: in itself, this shift towards “civilizations” could be the way powerful political forces can avoid talking about their power and their policies. Talking culture to avoid talking politics, talking formal democratic values to avoid talking about economic inequality, talking respect to avoid talking injustice. As such, the rhetoric of “civilizations” and “religions” can act as powerful obstacles to avoid talking about power—and addressing the real issues of our day. We need to reconcile ourselves with politics and political ideologies, economic justice and ethics, psychological alienation and intellectual manipulation at the heart of our modern societies, be they democratic or not. It is not enough to resist, not enough to dialog, not enough to be open to other civilizations and cultures: our world needs minds with understanding, with awareness (and without naivety). What we need women and men with understanding, determination and courage. Ready for any “alliance of civilizations” built on respect while never fearing to face the power of the mighty as they attempt to push us to talk about identity when we need to talk about dignity or when they invite us to talk about humanistic dialogue when the true subject is their inhuman and insane domination.