The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order

In the opening chapter of The Clash of Civilizations, Huntington presents the core argument of his book: That in the aftermath of the Cold War, global politics has shifted away from ideological and economic divisions and is now increasingly shaped by “cultural identities” (20), particularly those defined by civilizations. The collapse of the Soviet Union marks not just the end of an era, but the beginning of a global reordering based on cultural and civilizational lines.

For Huntington, the post-Cold War period is witnessing a profound transformation in how people define themselves. Rather than identifying through ideological alignments, such as capitalism or communism, individuals and nations are turning to culture as the primary source of identity. This shift is illustrated by public demonstrations where cultural symbols take precedence over political or institutional ones. For example, during the 1994 rally in Sarajevo, citizens raised flags of Muslim-majority countries instead of Western or international organizations. Similarly, protests in Los Angeles involved Mexican rather than American flags, highlighting the salience of ethnic and cultural allegiance over national identity.

Huntington argues that these displays are not isolated events but indicative of a larger pattern in which people are “discovering new but often old identities” (20) and rallying around traditional symbols like flags, religious icons, and languages.