Samuel P. Huntington revisits the Clash of Civilizations theory.

Huntington says culture will be at the root of conflicts in the future because the other causes of conflict have subsided. In the 18th century Europe and America battled for either monarchy or republicanism, in the 19th century nationalism produced wars, in the 20th century ideology was to the fore, but now, liberal democracy has triumphed – there is little left to create conflict except cultural differences, he says.

The great divide today he says is between Islam and the West, although admitting that neither is a homogenous bloc, and that sometimes western countries will ally with Islamic ones, and vice versa. The the core of the differences between Islam and the West is rooted in religion.

The Clash of Civilizations.

Liberal democracy is at the root of America, it is the defining thing about it. Much of the rest of the world has accepted the American system while Muslim countries are slow to.

More at the New Perspectives Quarterly – The Clash of Civilizations Revisited.