Report from the Clash of Civilizations Commission

Whoops, that’s the Alliance of Civilizations, and here’s the final report of its “High-Level Group”. Who knew? Forgive me for being cynical, but if blue-ribbon commissions are having a tough time of it on the domestic front (that sound you’re about to hear is the crash and burn of the Baker study group), query whether they’re likely to have any more traction on the international. This looks mostly like fairly innocuous stuff on the value of public education and the like in facilitating inter-group harmony (please correct me if I’m wrong).

The report does notably take the US to task for post-9/11 nonconformity with international norms (creating an “increased sense of vulnerability around the globe, particularly in Muslim countries, and to a perception of Western double standards”). It also highlights the importance of migration in inter-civilizational relations, and calls for improved multilateral coordination and refinement of international standards with respect to the treatment of migrants (this based on a working paper from the very capable sociologist Yasemin Soysal, noted for coining the term “postnational citizenship”). I doubt we can expect anything immediate to come out of this effort, but I suppose it doesn’t do any harm, and we can add it to the cumulating stack of materials pointing in these directions.