Lecture 4: Civilisations and Cultures - Clashing or Merging?

Until recently cultures and the differences between them have played but a small role in the study of international politics. This is because virtually all serious relations between states took place within western civilisation. Owen Harries looks at how this has changed as a result of two interrelated processes: first, because of the spectacular - and in many cases unanticipated - economic progress of some non-western states; and second, because of the rapid progress of globalisation and modernisation.