Huntington: Clash of Civilizations

Huntington, S., 1992. Clash of Civilizations, The. Foreign Affairs, 72(3), 22-49.

“It is my hypothesis that the fundamental source of conflict in this new world will not be primarily ideological or primarily economic. The great division among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural…The clash of civilizations will dominate global politics. The fault lines between civilizations will be the battle lines of the future” (22).

“What do we mean when we talk of a civilization? A civilization is a cultural entity. Villages, regions, ethnic groups, nationalities, religious groups, all have distinct cultures at different levels of cultural heterogeneity” (23-4).

The overall quantity of distinct civilizations have decreased over time. Huntington identifies 7-8 civilizations which remain and which will be in conflict in the future. This is because, firstly, these distinct groups of people have fundamental differences about key questions, like the relationship between god and man, or the relationship between the individual and the group. Secondly, our collective space is shrinking through improved interaction capacity. These technological pressures are also putting pressure on people to reject their local identities, which may have a back-lash effect. Fourthly, the hegemonic position of the West may also provide for a backlash of identity. Additionally, characteristics of civilization are much more difficult to strip away; one can become a democrat after they were a communist, but they will retain their ethnic heritage. Finally, the world is becoming increasingly defined by economic regionalism.

Huntington then explores fault lines between civilizations and the potential role that will be played by the West.