Samuel P. Huntington
Also known as Samuel Huntington, Samuel Phillips Huntington
American political scientist (1927 to 2008) known for the clash of civilizations thesis.
At a glance
Main ideas
Objective civilian control, Political order, The third wave …
See all 6Criticism
Advice to authoritarian governments, National Academy of Sciences
See all 2Books to start with
The Soldier and the State, Political Order in Changing Societies, The Third Wave …
See all 5Connections
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Huntington was a Harvard political scientist who directed its Weatherhead Center for International Affairs.
- He wrote influential books on civil-military relations, political order in developing countries and the third wave of democratisation.
- His 1993 article and 1996 book on the clash of civilizations argued that after the Cold War conflict would follow cultural lines.
- Under Jimmy Carter he coordinated security planning for the National Security Council.
Why it matters
- His clash of civilizations thesis framed post-Cold War debate about culture and conflict, and he is one of the most cited authors on political science syllabi.
Key facts
- Born
- 18 Apr 1927, New York City1
- Died
- 24 Dec 2008, Martha's Vineyard, aged 811
- Education
- Yale, graduated with distinction at 18; MA, University of Chicago; PhD, Harvard1
- Army
- U.S. Army from April 1946 to May 19471
- Career
- Harvard government department from 1950 until denied tenure in 1959; Columbia from 1959 to 1962; back at Harvard with tenure from 1963 until his death1
- Position
- Albert J. Weatherhead III University Professor at Harvard; director of the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs1
- Government
- White House coordinator of security planning for the National Security Council under Jimmy Carter1
- Co-founded
- Foreign Policy magazine, with Warren Demian Manshel1
- Awards
- Grawemeyer Award (1992) for The Third Wave; Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1965)1
Main ideas
-
Objective civilian control1
The best way to control the armed forces is to professionalise them.
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Political order1
Modernisation brings disorder, and violence, unless political institutions develop to manage it.
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The third wave1
From Portugal's 1974 revolution, more than 60 countries moved toward democracy.
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Clash of civilizations1
After the Cold War, the main conflicts would be between civilizations, not ideologies or states.
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Davos Man1
His term for global elites with little need for national loyalty.
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Immigration and identity1
In Who Are We? (2004) he called large-scale Latino immigration a cultural threat that could divide the US into "two peoples, two cultures, and two languages".
Criticism
Books to start with
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The Soldier and the State1
The theory and politics of civil-military relations.
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Political Order in Changing Societies1
A critique of modernisation theory.
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The Third Wave1
Democratisation in the late twentieth century.
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The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order1
Culture and religion as the fault lines of the post-Cold War world.
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Who Are We?1
The challenges to America's national identity.
Connections
Links
Sources
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