The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order

By: Samuel P. Huntington

Narrated by: Paul Boehmer

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. In the words of former National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, 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 As ideological distinctions among nations have been replaced by cultural differences, world politics has been reconfigured.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.©1996 Samuel P. Huntington; (P)2002 Books on Tape, Inc.

A prince for our time.

The scope of this book is impressive, and is a great resourse for anyone wanting a global picture of international relations , and a predictor of how relations will unfold in the near and long term. I feel this book is devoid of the Ideologies of our time and sets out to portray a pragmatic and realistic view of our circumstances and challenges as a society. It filled a few holes in my study of history.

One of the best and accurate view on the world

Also the view on our politics, policies, religion. An eager behavior about humans willingly separate, conflict or even war, just to think different than the other side, which might be next to us.

Fukuyama wrong, Huntington right

The only path forward for the west is to fully embrace and reinvigorate Christendom. That’s it.

Most of it was above my head, still good.

I'm a 4 year college grad with no specific background in this type of stuff. This book was pretty far over my head on a lot of topics. Still a good read and puts into perspective the foreign policy, wars, and politics that national leaders have to think about. Unless you are a history buff, some of the references will be lost on you. Still recommend, but there may be other books out there that are a little closer to the ground on the same topic.

Review of The Clash of Civilizations and the Remak

The book provides a good perspective on how the world is organized and how it operates, both at the present time and from a historical perspective. The author isolates certain scenarios and identifies many of the factors that contribute to the conditions discussed. The book was very enjoyable, but took some investment in time-well worth it though.