The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order

Samuel P. Huntington

Simon and Schuster, May 31, 2007 - Political Science - 368 pages

The classic study of post-Cold War international relations, more relevant than ever in the post-9/11 world, with a new foreword by Zbigniew Brzezinski.

Since its initial publication, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order has become a classic work of international relations and one of the most influential books ever written about foreign affairs. An insightful and powerful analysis of the forces driving global politics, it is as indispensable to our understanding of American foreign policy today as the day it was published. As former National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski says in his new foreword to the book, it “has earned a place on the shelf of only about a dozen or so truly enduring works that provide the quintessential insights necessary for a broad understanding of world affairs in our time.”

Samuel Huntington explains how clashes between civilizations are the greatest threat to world peace but also how an international order based on civilizations is the best safeguard against war. Events since the publication of the book have proved the wisdom of that analysis. The 9/11 attacks and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have demonstrated the threat of civilizations but have also shown how vital international cross-civilization cooperation is to restoring peace. As ideological distinctions among nations have been replaced by cultural differences, world politics has been reconfigured. Across the globe, new conflicts—and new cooperation—have replaced the old order of the Cold War era.

The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order explains how the population explosion in Muslim countries and the economic rise of East Asia are changing global politics. These developments challenge Western dominance, promote opposition to supposedly “universal” Western ideals, and intensify intercivilization conflict over such issues as nuclear proliferation, immigration, human rights, and democracy. The Muslim population surge has led to many small wars throughout Eurasia, and the rise of China could lead to a global war of civilizations. Huntington offers a strategy for the West to preserve its unique culture and emphasizes the need for people everywhere to learn to coexist in a complex, multipolar, muliticivilizational world.

What people are saying

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - scottcholstad - LibraryThing

I'm aware of just how influential this book has been ever since it was published and I'm also aware of the author's tremendous reputation, but I've never been able to come to a decisive opinion on ...

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - dpevers - LibraryThing

This book made me think. It is interesting that the major part of the text was written in 1996, and seems to be coming to fruition in the last decade (from 2010 and forward based on when I read the book). My big takeaway is the need abolish religions, as they seem to be a root cause of conflict.

About the author

Samuel P. Huntington was the Albert J. Weatherhead III University Professor at Harvard University, where he was also the director of the John M. Olin Institute for Stategic Studies and the chairman of the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies. He was the director of security planning for the National Security Council in the Carter administration, the founder and coeditor of Foreign Policy, and the president of the American Political Science Association.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order
• Author: Samuel P. Huntington
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Simon and Schuster, 2007
• ISBN: 1416561242, 9781416561248
• Length: 368 pages
• Subjects: Political Science / History & Theory; Political Science / International Relations / General; Political Science / Political Ideologies / General