The Clash of Civilizations

Huntingdon's "Clash of Civilizations" was at times an alarming read for me. Particularly troubling was the fact that Huntingdon attempts to boil down the political structures of his day into one main concept--that of a clash of civilizations. I don't think Huntingdon acknowledges that many elements are coming into play, outside of simply cultural/civilization differences.

In particular, I thought Huntingdon failed to address the role the United States has taken in shaping the global socio-political map. In discussing the Persian Gulf War, Huntingdon addresses how Muslim nations called for a war against the West and the idea that the struggle represented something greater than America protecting the sovereignty of Kuwait. However, Huntingdon never looks at this case from the opposite perspective. Is it possible that American leaders and the American people themselves viewed the conflict as a war against the Middle East? In light of America's invasion and occupation of Iraq, this idea gains some credibility. Huntingdon fails to look at both sides of the coin--he addresses the cultural differences of countries outside of the West but fails to look at how ideas and philosophies of Western civilization may also create conflict outside of the West.