Samuel P. Huntington’s “The Clash of Civilizations?” posits that post-Cold War conflict would be driven not by ideological or economic divides, but by cultural and religious identities between civilizations. Key concepts include:
- The world is divided into different civilizations whose cultural boundaries are less flexible than political ones.
- Conflicts will occur at the “fault lines” between these civilizations.
- Modernization does not imply Westernization, and non-Western civilizations will reaffirm their cultural identities.
Applying this to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Huntington would likely see it as a manifestation of such a “fault line” clash, with Jewish and Islamic civilizations in conflict over territorial, cultural, and religious claims.
As for whether these notions are playing out as convincingly as Huntington anticipated, it’s subject to interpretation. Some argue that the conflict is more about nationalistic and territorial issues than a clash of civilizations. Others see the enduring religious and cultural tensions as evidence supporting Huntington’s thesis. The reality is likely complex, with elements of both nationalistic struggle and broader civilizational conflicts at play.
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