Samuel Huntington – The Clash of Civilizations. A gift book in a leather binding

Samuel Huntington – The Clash of Civilizations. A gift book in a leather binding.

“The Clash of Civilizations” is a fundamental geopolitical work by the American political scientist Samuel Huntington, published in 1996 and revolutionizing the understanding of world politics after the end of the Cold War. The author’s main thesis is that in the coming century, the key sources of international conflicts will be not economics or ideology, but cultural and religious differences. Instead of the former bipolar world, the political scientist identifies several major global civilizations, among which the Western, Islamic, Sinic (Chinese), and Orthodox civilizations play a key role. Huntington argues that global politics is becoming multipolar and poly‑civilizational, and Western values, contrary to many people’s hopes, are losing their universal status. The book pays special attention to the so‑called “fault lines” — the boundaries between civilizations, where local disputes and ethnic tensions most often escalate into protracted armed conflicts.
The author provides a detailed description of the phenomenon of “split countries,” which are torn between the desire to join the West and the preservation of their traditional cultural identity. The book also contains a serious warning to the United States and Europe about the need to abandon the aggressive imposition of democracy and to recognize the limits of their own geopolitical influence. Despite harsh criticism from many opponents, this work remains one of the most cited and influential concepts in the field of international relations to this day.