I think it is a mistake—let me just repeat—to think in terms of two homogenous sides starkly confronting each other," Professor Huntington told us. "Global politics remains extremely complex and countries have different interests, which will also lead them to make what might seem as rather bizarre friends and allies. … "I think it's hard to talk about the Muslim world and Christian world as distinctly separate blocs," Huntington continued. "There will be association and partnerships between some Muslim countries and some Christian countries. Those already exist. And they may shift as different regimes come and go and interests change. I do not think it is all that useful to think in terms of those two 'solid blocs' [i.e, the Muslim world and the West]."

XREF: Challenges the popularized version of Huntington's 'clash of civilizations' thesis, where the source is often flattened into a binary confrontation. Useful to hold against the media caricature.

Arsalan Iftikhar, Fear of a Muslim Planet_ Gl…, loc. 674