Western primacy will erode as power diffuses to Asian civilizations and China

Evidence

The West is overwhelmingly dominant now and will remain number one in terms of power and influence well into the twenty-first century. Gradual, inexorable, and fundamental changes, however, are also occurring in the balances of power among civilizations, and the power of the West relative to that of other civilizations will continue to decline. As the West’s primacy erodes, much of its power will simply evaporate and the rest will be diffused on a regional basis among the several major civilizations and their core states. The most significant increases in power are accruing and will accrue to Asian civilizations, with China gradually emerging as the society most likely to challenge the West for global influence. These shifts in power among civilizations are leading and will lead to the revival and increased cultural assertiveness of non-Western societies and to their increasing rejection of Western culture. — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 223

Categorization

• XREF: Contrasts sharply with Fukuyama’s ‘end of history’ thesis about liberal democracy’s global ascendancy. — connects to: China is rapidly displacing the West as a global data gatekeeper — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection: How Data Is…, 332