Already in 1993, the American political scientist and Pentagon advisor Samuel Huntington
drew considerable attention with his theory of an inescapable “clash of civilizations” –
a slogan which has come into widespread usage since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Huntington's central thesis is that the wars of the 19th Century were wars between nations, whereas the wars of the 20th Century were wars between ideologies (Communism, Fascism, National Socialism), but the wars of the 21st Century will be wars between “civilizations”, in which cultures and religions will play a central role.
In his analyses, Huntington shows that conflicts will break out along the century old “fault lines” where cultures and religions face off. For the 21st Century, he predicts an inescapable clash between the Western and the Islamic and Chinese civilizations.
