American elites ignored civilizational divides that non-Western leaders recognized

Evidence

First, statesmen can constructively alter reality only if they recognize and understand it. The emerging politics of culture, the rising power of non-Western civilizations, and the increasing cultural assertiveness of these societies have been widely recognized in the non-Western world. European leaders have pointed to the cultural forces drawing people together and driving them apart. American elites, in contrast, have been slow to accept and to come to grips with these emerging realities. — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 855 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

For much of their history, Americans defined their society in opposition to Europe. America was the land of freedom, equality, opportunity, the future; Europe represented oppression, class conflict, hierarchy, backwardness. America, it was even argued, was a distinct civilization. This positing of an opposition between America and Europe was, in considerable measure, a result of the fact that at least until the end of the nineteenth century America had only limited contacts with non-Western civilizations. Once the United States moved out on the world scene, however, the sense of a broader identity with Europe developed. While nineteenth-century America defined itself as different from and opposed to Europe, twentieth-century America has defined itself as a part of and, indeed, the leader of a broader entity, the West, that includes Europe. — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 128 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: American elites lag behind the rest of the world in recognizing civilizational politics — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 855; America refused to recognize religious divides that Europe took as fundamental; Refusing to acknowledge civilizational divides guarantees failure in confronting them — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 856 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• American elites lag behind the rest of the world in recognizing civilizational politics #corroborates (0.95) — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 855
• America’s West identity emerged only after it met non-Western peoples #complicates (0.78) — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 128