Sogang University

Graduate School of International Studies

GISE001 Introduction to International Relations

Comment Paper

Evaluating Samuel P. Huntington's "The Clash of

Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order"

CHAN Yi Kwan (I54007)

28/11/2023
Introduction

The American political scientist Samuel P. Huntington published the book "The Clash of

Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order" in 1996. This book offers an interesting

thesis that civilizational differences would become the primary fault line of international

relations in the post-Cold War era. According to Huntington, a civilization is a broad range of

cultures with a shared heritage, language, history, and, most importantly, values ​and beliefs.

He argues that when the world becomes more interconnected, civilizations interact more and

therefore increasing the potential for conflict. The first part of this essay will look at

Huntington’s key points. The second part will evaluate Huntington's theory, which has been

generally accepted and highly criticized.

Clash of Civilizations

First, Samuel P. Huntington contended on the Clash of Civilization. He asserted that

disagreements among states after the cold war would develop on civilizational grounds.

According to him, the world consists of separate civilizations founded upon their social traits,

religion, and history; thereby, the major cause for international relations will come from those

societies. According to Huntington, civilizational differences run deeper and last longer than

political, economic, or any ideological affiliations. He argues that such as cultural and

religious orientations determine the values of the society which ultimately influence people’s

personal beliefs and behavior. Huntington argues that as the process of globalisation

advances, more people shall develop pride in their civilizational inheritance which they wish

to safeguard at all costs resulting into conflicts between rival civilizations. He notes about

different civilizations namely, western, islamic, confucian, hindu and others, having their own

culture and religion traits. Huntington claims that the major and strongest confrontation will

be on the clashing grounds of the Muslim civilization and the West which are based mainly

1
upon the historical tension between them. He contends that the Islamic culture with its

inherent cultural identity would challenge the domination of the West and its values.

Cultural Identity and Conflict

Huntington further proposes that cultural and religious identities play a pivotal role in driving

individual’s behavior across civilizational fault lines. According to Huntington, as individuals

identify themselves in terms of their culture and religion, these identities become part of their

worldview and influence their relations with others. Not all can be reconciled by compromise

and negotiation when the people are from different cultures and religions, which they

perceive as a part of their self-definition. He argues that civilizations have different

perceptions on right, truth, or society and that this may cause conflicts once these differences

happen. In addition, he argues that the basis of civilization is rooted in the cultural and

religious values that often supersede the political and economic affiliations, and which

consequently give rise to conflicting civilizations.

Decline of the West

Thirdly, Huntington postulates that the weight of the west, especially the American power,

will reduce or subside as non-western societies proffer their values and cultural identities.

Huntington attributes the decline of the West to the following four reasons. The first element

is the “Cultural Assertiveness”. Non-Western civilizations, such as the Islamic, Confucian,

and Hindu civilizations, are also asserting more forcefully on their cultural values and

identities. In order to assert their cultural independence, these civilizations become confident

and resist the prevalent Western culture. The other factor is the “Economic Growth”.

According to Huntington, the economic upturn witnessed by these non-Western civilization,

particularly East Asia, has contributed to their rising influence. Economic giants such as

2
China and the “Asian Tigers” have emerged on the map and their growing economic muscle

threatens Western economic supremacy, reordering world economic relations. The third

factor is the “Rejecting of Western Universalism”. Huntington argues that it is the refusal to

accept the Western universalism which purportedly prescribes liberalism and market

democracy. Western values contradict the traditions of non-Western civilizations aiming to

save their own political and cultural identity. The last factor is called the “Western Internal

Challenges”. The western societies also face internal challenges such as social fragmentation,

cultural relativism and lack of confidence in their values and institutions. The problems faced

by the west and the development of others civilizations leads to the downfall of the West.

According to these indicators, Huntington says that a non-Western world order would emerge

in which people with a different culture and value system reject Western universalism.

Islamic Challenge

Finally, he points out the “Islamic Challenge” as a major cause of tension in the “post-cold

war era”. He contends that the Islamic civilization is dissimilar to the West and this is

historically, culturally, and religiously. Notwithstanding, this argument has received criticism

from scholars. The Crusades, the spread of Islam in Europe; the colonization of the Muslim

countries by Europe. He argues that such encounters in history underpinned the way Islam

views the West, resulting in present conflicts and problems. Huntington highlights other

elements that make up the Islamic threat such as the different ideologies, religious principles,

and political structures. The author contends that Islam is a leading religion in most

Muslim-dominated nations, thus, it shapes the politics and society which clashes with the

western values of secularism, democracy and personal liberties. In addition, he says that

Islamic resurgence or political Islam constitute a challenge to the western type of government

and present certain ideological confrontations.

3
Huntington’s thesis has attracted a lot of controversy and criticism. Some believe in his views

but others do not and they consider civilization as one whole and predictable.

Oversimplification of Complex Dynamics

His theory on civilizational clashes has attracted much criticism, with critics saying that it is

oversimplification that it views global conflicts as just matters of culture and religion. It is

true that there are cultural and religious aspects in conflicts; however, these are not the only

causes. Besides these, political, economic and social factors also play a major role in the

complications of international relations. Power struggles, territorial disputes, competing for

resources, historical differences, as well as ideological disagreements are also some of the

many causes for conflicts. These factors are interdependent, hence only focusing on

civilizational fault lines is not enough to understand them. In not considering these varied

interrelations, Huntington’s argument only explains the basic cause and complexity of

conflict.

Intra-Civilizational Conflicts

In addition, the examples of civil wars happening within the same civilizations deny

assumption about the civilizational differences as main fault-lines. At various occasions in

history, civil wars have arisen due to ethnic, religious, and political differences. For instance,

the American Civil War in the same civilization exemplifies a civil war. This happened

among the northern states of the United States (Union) and the southern states

(Confederacy).1 The war was fought in spite of sharing the same American identity,

especially on differences between the issues such as slavery, states’ rights, and regional
1
Weber, J. L., & Hassler, W. W. (2023, November 17). American Civil War | History, Summary, Dates,
Causes, Map, Timeline, Battles, Significance, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/event/American-Civil-War

4
economic discrepancies. The other examples include Spanish Civil War (1936-1939),

Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990) and Yugoslav Wars (1991-2001).2 These examples

demonstrate that conflicts and civil wars can arise within societies sharing a common

civilization and showing that Huntington’s focuses are too narrow.

Fluidity Within Civilizations

Moreover, critics argue that Huntington's depiction of civilizations as monolithic entities with

fixed characteristics overlooks the fluidity and internal dynamics within civilizations.

Civilizations are not simple in that they contain many subcultures, regional variations, and

different understandings of their religious and culture. In one civilization, there can be

considerable differences in terms of values, beliefs, and practices. For example, within the

Western civilization, there are diverse cultural traditions and practices across countries like

the United States, France, Germany, and Italy. The cultural diversity includes language, art

and literature, cuisine, festivals and celebrations, folks and traditional practices and historical

and architectural heritage etc. These differences can lead to diverse attitudes towards other

civilizations and may even generate conflicts within the same civilization. Huntington's

theory fails to account for the internal debates, transformations, and evolving dynamics

within civilizations. Over time, civilizations can adapt, change, and incorporate ideas and

practices from other civilizations. This dynamic nature challenges the fixed and static

portrayal of civilizations in Huntington's thesis. Furthermore, a person may belong to more

than one identity and affiliation apart from their civilizational association. For example, the

individual was born in America, but their parents were immigrants from Mexico. Thus, they

may identify themselves as Americans and also identify with their Mexican heritage. While it

is possible that their cultural identity may encompass a blend of American and Mexican

2
List of civil wars. (2023, November 17). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_civil_wars

5
influences. Ethnicity, nationality, class, beliefs, and personal characteristics influence the

behavior and attitude of individuals. Multiple identities can have a bearing on how

individuals interact with other civilizations and make the idea of “civilizational fault lines”

difficult to grasp.

Neglecting Interactions and Overlaps

Additionally, civilizations are not that distinct and separate anymore nowadays. Critics

contend that with the advent of globalisation, interconnectedness and blurring of the

civilizational boundaries, the pure civilizational clash has been replaced by hybrid identities.

Through globalization, ideas, values, and cultural practices have been sharing boundaries.

This has resulted in higher cultural diffusion, which means that some features from one

civilization are incorporated into another. Consequently, people can have more cultural

associations and identities that are beyond the scope of a single civilization. For example, the

global popularity of K-pop (Korean pop music) showcases the cultural diffusion of Korean

music. The other important factor in the shaping of cultural interactions include migration

and diaspora communities, such as the Chinese diaspora. As such, it refers to the large

diaspora composed of Chinese migrants who live in different places throughout the world.

The biggest Chinese diaspora communities are found in the United States, Canada, Australia,

New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, among others.3 They maintain connections to

Chinese language, values, customs, cuisine, and festivals. Cultural institutions, such as

Chinese schools, temples, community centers, and associations, are established to facilitate

cultural preservation and provide support networks for the diaspora communities. The

existence of different civilizations within a certain location gives rise to cultural exchange

and hybridization due to interaction among different races. Therefore, Huntington’s thesis

3
Chinese Diaspora. (n.d.). https://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/academy/index.php?chinese-diaspora

6
stating that the civilizations as isolated or independent units with distinct boundaries may not

be accurate anymore.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Samuel P. Huntington's "The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of

World Order" presents a compelling thesis that civilizational differences would become the

new fault line of international relations in the post-Cold War era. However, critical evaluation

reveals limitations in his arguments, including oversimplification, neglect of

intra-civilizational conflicts, and the essentialization of cultures. While civilizational

differences undoubtedly play a role in shaping conflicts, a comprehensive analysis must

consider multiple factors beyond cultural and religious identities. Understanding the

complexities of global conflicts requires a nuanced approach that acknowledges the fluidity

within civilizations and the interplay of various factors.

7
 REFERENCE

Book

Fouseki, K. (2006). The fluidity of civilizations: The clash of civilizations and the limits of a

Huntingtonian analysis. Millennium: Journal of International Studies, 34(3), 843-862.

Hall, J. A. (2012). The problem with Huntington: Misunderstanding civilizations and the

impact on human rights. Human Rights Review, 13(2), 167-187.

Huntington, S. P. (2011). The clash of civilizations and the remaking of world order. Simon &

Schuster.

Lebow, R. N. (2003). The tragedy of Samuel Huntington. Political Psychology, 24(4),

661-684.

Website

Weber, J. L., & Hassler, W. W. (2023, November 17). American Civil War | History,

Summary, Dates, Causes, Map, Timeline, Battles, Significance, & Facts. Encyclopedia

Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/American-Civil-War

List of civil wars. (2023, November 17). Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_civil_wars

Chinese Diaspora. (n.d.).

https://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/academy/index.php?chinese-diaspora