John Howard - PM Australia

The "Clash of Civilisations" idea was advanced by Samuel Huntington in his 1993 article in the journal "Foreign Affairs". In that article, in a nutshell, he "posed the question whether conflicts between civilisations would dominate the future of world politics". He further developed his theme in his subsequent book in which he stated that not only were "clashes between civilisations (the) greatest threat to world peace" but also that basing an international order on civilisations would be an effective way to prevent war.

Understandably his thesis generated, and continues to generate, considerable debate and the whole spectrum of reactions. Some have chosen to interpret it as meaning that following the end of the Cold War a new, ‘civilisational', dragon must be found to replace the defeated Communist enemy. Even before 9/11, but more so afterwards, an ill-informed minority seem to be suggesting that Islam could be that dragon.

That is as offensive as it is wrong. Wrong because it is not true. Wrong because the need for dragons is the stuff of fairytales and not of real life. And offensive because Islam is not an enemy of the West. Crudely to transpose the acts and views of a tiny minority as being representative of the entire religion is both inaccurate and dangerous. Such assertions find easy root in the fertile soil of misunderstanding. The more difficult terrain of understanding is much harder to cultivate, but cultivated it must be. And the only way is through dialogue.

The unacceptable alternative is to yield to the doctrine of conflict, the clash of civilisations dragons and all.

Conflicts between "civilisations" have occurred in the past. Differences of culture, religion, politics have led to conflict. The Crusades were one such example, although there were many other factors at play in that conflict. Similarly in more recent times we see the Israeli-Palestinian clash. We see the Kashmir dispute, and a host of other conflicts worldwide. While however the world will always find issues that divide, we are united by a far greater factor – we all share this small planet. The differences and diversity around us should be a source of pride. It is up to us to learn from each other's cultures, and to achieve greater understanding. Understanding is not grown in a vacuum chamber. It must be watered constantly by dialogue.

Speech by: Rt Hon Michael Ancram.

White House - Washington DC