In Friedman’s editorial on Friday, he talked about Samuel Huntington and his ideas about the Clash of Civilizations. His big idea is that the major political actors of the near future will not be nations, but civilizations (or cultures). And I can see that. He apparently was thinking of continental civilizations. Like “The West” or “Islam”.
But given what Friedman said about him, and the wikipedia page, it sounds like he views cultures as supersets of nations, which has some truth to it. But the idea shows even greater value when you start looking at internal divisions of societies. The effects of immigrant influx, and the race to assimilate. I’d say more, but it’s late, and I’m tired. Hopefully I’ll pick up on this later, or maybe read the book and actually talk from *gasp* an informed opinion. Rather than pulling shit out of my ass. =)
He wrote Diplomacy, right? I think I read that text of his a few years ago.
It’s an interesting notion but I wonder what will count in the end of “cultures” and what variations will be deemed fitting under a larger umbrella “culture”. I can’t see the “West” as it is slowly changing remaining the “West” as it’s been understood for the last century or so.