In recent years, analysts of world affairs have suggested that cultural                  interests -- ethnicity, religion, and ideology -- play a primary role in patterns of                  conflict and alliances, and that in the future the "clash of civilizations" will                  dominate international relations. The Limits of Culture explores the effect of                  culture on foreign policy, focusing on countries in the geopolitically important                  Caspian region and paying particular attention to those states that have identified                  themselves as Islamic republics -- Iran, Taliban Afghanistan, and Pakistan.The                  contributors to The Limits of Culture find that, contrary to the currently popular                  view, culture is rarely more important than other factors in shaping the foreign                  policies of countries in the Caspian region. They find that ruling regimes do not                  necessarily act according to their own rhetoric. Iran, for example, can conduct                  policies that contradict the official state ideology without suffering domestic                  retribution. Also, countries frequently align with one another when they do not                  share religious beliefs or cultural heritage. For example, Christian Armenia                  cooperates on trade and security with non-Christian Iran. Cultural identities, the                  contributors find, are flexible enough to enable states to pursue a wide range of                  policies that are consistent with their material interests. As the essays in The                  Limits of Culture make clear, the emerging foreign policies of the Caspian states                  present a significant challenge to the culturalist argument.

The Limits of Culture: Islam and Foreign Policy (Belfer Center Studies in International Security) PDF

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