The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order

In the final chapter, Huntington explores the potential renewal or decline of Western civilization in a world increasingly defined by cultural identities and inter-civilizational tensions. Drawing from historical precedents and the theories of scholars like Arnold Toynbee and Carroll Quigley, Huntington argues that all civilizations undergo phases of emergence, rise, maturity, and eventual decay. He questions whether the West is exceptional or bound by the same historical cycles. Huntington critiques the Western belief in its own permanence and universalism, noting that civilizations at their peak often assume their dominance is eternal, just as the Romans, Ottomans, and British once did. Such assumptions are usually followed by decline. 

He challenges two assumptions commonly held by Westerners: That Western civilization is unique, and that its expansion will suppress the development of other civilizations. While acknowledging the West’s profound influence on modernization and industrialization, he maintains that the West is not immune to historical patterns. Other civilizations, particularly Islamic and Asian, are showing signs of resurgence, challenging Western global preeminence.

Huntington adopts Quigley’s model of civilizational phases to analyze the West’s trajectory. According to this framework, Western civilization emerged from the fusion of Classical, Christian, and barbarian cultures and has moved through stages of gestation, expansion, conflict, and now apparent maturity.