Fraternity: A Missing Element in Huntington’s The Clash of Civilizations

For the past three decades, Samuel Huntington’s The Clash of Civilizations has maintained some critical relevance in analysing cultural or religious conflict in the international sphere. An avalanche of criticism and praise has placed Huntington’s thoughts on the central political arguments, policies and fundamental questions about the future of cultural influence onto the international scene. Although one of the pivotal arguments is that the future conflict would be based on cultural or religious, rather than ideological, difference, Huntington foregrounds it on the principles of equality and freedom, neglecting fraternity as the third face of the coin of Western political philosophy. By recognising fraternity as an overlooked and connecting rod between equality and freedom, the article argues that the apocalypses would have been better managed if fraternity was not neglected. Consequently, this article argues that Huntington’s thesis overlooks the critical role of fraternity in future conflict by focusing almost exclusively on conflict that is prompted by the struggle for equality and freedom at global and local levels. It concludes that fraternity theoretically suits the African relationship to the civilisational clash.