Samuel P. Huntington: RIP

Foreign Affairs has made available some archived writings about and by Professor Huntington in honor of his passing. Here is his 1993 essay on The Clash of Civilizations (the book was published in '96) that may be a good executive summary for those (like me) who haven't read the entire book.

It is my hypothesis that the fundamental source of conflict in this new world will not be primarily ideological or primarily economic. The great divisions among humankind and the dominating source of conflict will be cultural. Nation states will remain the most powerful actors in world affairs, but the principal conflicts of global politics will occur between nations and groups of different civilizations. The clash of civilizations will dominate global politics. The fault lines between civilizations will be the battle lines of the future.