Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The controversies following the publication of the so-called Muhammed cartoons by the Danish newspaper Jyllandsposten are widely referred to as causing the deepest crisis in Danish foreign policy since World War II. Embassies were attacked, a massive embargo on Danish products significantly damaged Danish companies, and the Danish foreign policy identity as an ?active internationalist? promoting democracy, development and human rights was brought into question. This paper examines the media networks that spread the cartoons beyond the Danish context, and it analyzes the Danish government?s discourse which attempted to universalize the genre of satire and to dichotomize the choice between freedom of speech and democracy on the one hand and fundamentalism and censorship on the other. The paper draws attention to the Danish government?s attempt to delink the Muhammed case from the Danish debate on immigration, and its responses to the criticism from within the Bush and Blair Administrations. The paper will bring particular attention to the articulation of the concept of civilization within governmental as well as critical discourses and discuss to what extent ?civilization? can be used to foster dialogue and a responsible and responsive politics of identity.PLEASE CONTACT ME AT lha@ifs.ku.dk IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN SEEING THIS PAPER!

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: In this paper I will revisit Samuel Huntington's (1993, 1996) contentious concept of Clash of Civilizations and argue that, despite misgivings of many concerned scholars, researchers, and general observers of the global cultural scene, the development of the Civilizational Clash has been given a profound empirical boost by the actions-reactions of the Bush Administration. This holds not just for post-11 September 2001 developments but also for before. In this regard, the concept of the self-fulfilling prophecy will be examined in light of these hypothesized cause-and-effect connections, followed by a discussion of the implications of these developments for global peace and security.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The 'English School' approach to international relations can trace its origins back to an intellectual effort to search for a theoretical 'via media' that would provide possibilities of order, stability and coexistence in an anarchic world. Consequently, English School scholars have traditionally privileged the 'rationalist' or 'Grotian' thought, emphasizing that International Society can play a positive role in bringing about order and stability into international politics. However, this lopsided view has rendered the English School blind to a number of unintended consequences that actually disrupted order when non-European states sought to enter International Society as full members. When a state decides to consciously seek to become a member of this Society, it needs to adopt the identity of a 'member' of International Society and demonstrate this to other members to gain their recognition. In this paper, I seek to demonstrate how these 'politics of identity' were connected to the dismantling of the ancient East Asian international order in the late-nineteenth century, and eventually culminated in a military clash between China and Japan. The paper will provide a fresh account of the aspects of the expansion of International Society previously neglected by English School scholars, and further the agenda to investigate non-European experiences to enrich our understanding of international society today.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Since the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of what many
considered to be a bipolar international system, many scholars of
international conflict have been looking for new grand theories for our
newly globalized, post-Cold War system. One scholar in particular,
Samuel Huntington, and his provocative ?civilizations? theory, has
drawn a significant amount of critical attention from conflict
scholars. Though there have been two significant quantitative tests of
some of the hypotheses from Clash of Civilizations (CoC) that found
little to no empirical support for Huntington?s assertions, (Henderson
and Tucker 1999; Russett et al 2000), there has yet to be a
comprehensive statistical test of Huntington?s theory during the post
Cold War era due past data limitations. This study utilizes updated
data from the International Correlates of War Project (ICOW), which
allows me to do a more comprehensive, quantitative test of CoC during
the post Cold War era. I improve upon previous studies of CoC by
adding an additional nine years in the post Cold War era as well as
using both militarized disputes (MID?s) as well as international wars
as dependent variables in the study.