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As Far As Ideology Or Political Beliefs Are Concerned, Countries Are Very Different.
-Samuel P. Huntington
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As Far As Ideology

Samuel P. Huntington
...
As Far As Ideology Or Political Beliefs Are Concerned, Countries Are Very Different.

Understanding the Quote: "as far as ideology or political beliefs are concerned, countries are very..."

This quote by Samuel P. Huntington reflects deeply on the theme of country. It connects to the universal human journey of purpose, motivation, and reflection. Often categorized under Country, Political, Different, the quote offers insight, emotional clarity, and intellectual inspiration to readers worldwide.

Whether you’re a student exploring new ideas, a leader trying to motivate your team, or someone seeking direction in life — this quote provides value. It resonates because it’s more than words — it’s a bridge between experience and wisdom. It shows how Samuel P. Huntington interprets life's core challenges and triumphs.

Lessons From the Quote

This quote teaches resilience and focus. It reminds readers that no matter where they stand in life, reflection and self-awareness lead to growth. Each word has meaning, and when studied, it becomes clear how impactful thoughtful language can be.

About Samuel P. Huntington

Samuel P. Huntington is celebrated for insightful thoughts on country and political. Their legacy lives on through writings that guide, comfort, and inspire. Discover more on their profile page.

Actionable Takeaways

  • Reflect on how this quote applies to your current life path.
  • Share the message with someone who needs inspiration.
  • Write your thoughts on this quote in a journal or blog post.
  • Use it as a daily affirmation or reminder.

Closing Thoughts

Quotes like this endure because they capture universal truths. They comfort us in solitude and empower us in groups. Carry this quote forward — live by its wisdom, share its message, and keep its essence alive.

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Topic
Country
Political
Different
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People Everywhere Talk About Islam And The West. Presumably That Has Some Relationship To Reality, That These Are Entities That Have Some Meaning And They Do. Of Course The Core Ofthat Reality Is Differences In Religion.
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It Was One Thing To Contain The Soviet Union In Europe Because Britain, France, And Germany Were All Willing To Join In. But Will Japan And Other Asian Countries Be Willing To Join In The Containment Of China?
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When You Mention The Word Ideology, Everyone Has Communism In The Back Of Their Minds, Which Was An Entirely Well Formulated Ideology And Statement Of Belief. You Read The Communist Manifesto And You Know What The Core Of It Is.
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Except Under Rare Circumstances, I Don't Write Responses To Criticism.
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I Wouldn't Rule Out The Possibility Of Muslim Or At Least Arab Countries Developing Some Form Of Organization Comparable To The European Union. I Don't Think That's Very Likely, But It Conceivably Could Happen.
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There Has Been An Irish Lobby That Has Impacted U.s. Foreign Policy For A Century And A Half, And At Times Made Our Relations With Great Britain Very Difficult. Other Comparable Lobbies Exist.
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I Think We Can Expect Leaders Of Muslim Societies To Cooperate With Each Other On Many Issues Just As Western Societies Cooperate With Each Other.
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If One Of The Drafters Of The Declaration Of Independence Came Back Today, He Would Not Be Surprised About What Americans Were Saying And Believing And Articulating In Their Public Statements. It Would All Sound Rather Familiar.
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In The 19th Century It Was Basically Nationality And People Trying To Define Their Nationalism And Create States Which Would Reflect Their Nationalism. In The 20th Century, Ideology Came To The Fore, Largely, But Not Exclusively, As A Result Of The Russian Revolution And We Have Fascism, Communism And Liberal Democracy Competing With Each Other. Well That's Pretty Much Over.
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The Larger Society Has To Recognize Some Degree Of Autonomy For The Minority: The Right To Practice Their Own Religion And Way Of Life And To Some Extent Their Language.
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I Think Clearly The United States, As Well As Other Western Nations, Should Stand By Their Commitments To Human Rights And Democracy And Should Try To Influence Other Countries To Move In That Direction.
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But Then I Came To The Conclusion That No, While There May Be An Immigration Problem, It Isn't Really A Serious Problem. The Really Serious Problem Is Assimilation.
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Power Remains Strong When It Remains In The Dark; Exposed To The Sunlight It Begins To Evaporate.
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Obviously There Are Divisions Within The West And Divisions Within Islam - There Are Different Sects, Different Communities, Different Countries. So Neither One Is Homogenous At All. But They Do Have Things In Common.
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The Core Of The American Set Of Beliefs Has Remained Pretty Constant.
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There Are Lots Of Conflicts Going On In The Middle East. It Is Unclear As To Which Country Will Emerge, If Any, As The Dominant Or Hegemonic Power In The Middle East.
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The West Won The World Not By The Superiority Of Its Ideas Or Values Or Religion […] But Rather By Its Superiority In Applying Organized Violence. Westerners Often Forget This Fact; Non-westerners Never Do.
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Islam's Borders Are Bloody And So Are Its Innards. The Fundamental Problem For The West Is Not Islamic Fundamentalism. It Is Islam, A Different Civilisation Whose People Are Convinced Of The Superiority Of Their Culture And Are Obsessed With The Inferiority Of Their Power.
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Many Of The Most Difficult Questions Concerning The Role Of Ethnic Minorities Centers On Language.
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I Am Doubtful That There Will Be Any Sort Of Real Coherence Of Muslim Societies Into A Single Political System Run By An Elected Or Non-elected Group Of Leaders.
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Obviously Muslim Societies, Like Societies Elsewhere, Are Becoming Increasingly Urban, Many Are Becoming Industrial, But Since So Many Have Oil And Gas, They Don't Have A Great Impetus. But Again, The Revenue That Natural Resources Produce Gives Them The Capability And So Countries Like Iran Are Beginning To Develop An Industrial Component.
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What Are The Prospects For An Arab State Serving A Leading Role Comparable To The Role That Other States Place In Other Regions? There Is No Obvious Candidate. Saudi Arabia Has The Money But A Relatively Small Population. Iraq Was A Great Potential Leader, As A Sizable Country With Great Oil Resources And A Highly Educated Population, But It Went Off In The Wrong Direction.
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Two Significant Developments In The Past Several Decades Have Been The Collapse Of Communism As An Ideology And The General Acceptance, In Rhetoric, If Not Practice, Of Liberal Democracy.
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Since The Revolution Of The 18th Century, America Has Basically Had An Ideology Of Liberal Democracy And Constitutionalism.
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The United States Has Been An Immigrant Country. The Hispanics Who Come Here Are Largely From Mexico And South America. They Are Catholics, But That Is An American Religion. One-third Of Our Population Is Catholic So That Does Not Have The Same Impact As Muslims Coming Into Europe.
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Hispanics Speak Spanish Or Portuguese, Which Are Languages We Americans Are Familiar With, So It Doesn't Seem To Pose The Same Types Of Problems As Arabic-speaking Muslims Do In Europe.
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Maybe Iraq Will Come Back And Become The Dominant Power Among Arab Countries. That Seems To Me As Conceivable.
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When You Have Increased Migration Of Peoples And Ethnic And Religious Minorities, You Develop A Set Of Rules And Language The Larger Society Can Accept And The Minority Community Can Accept.
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The Colonial Experience All Muslim Countrieswent Through May Be A Factor In The Fight Against Western Domination, British, French Or Whatever. They Were Until Recently Largely Rural Societies With Land Owning Governing Elites In Most Of Them. I Think They Are Certainly Moving Toward Urbanization And Much More Pluralistic Political Systems. In Almost Every Muslim Country, That Is Occurring. Obviously They Are Increasing Their Involvement With Non-muslim Societies. One Peak Aspect Of This, Of Course, Is The Migration Of Muslims Into Europe.
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I Think We've Seen At Least The Beginnings Of Rather Significant Social And Economic Change In The Muslim World, Which I Think Will In Due Course Lead To More Political Change.
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And The Big Question For The West, Of Course, And To The Europeans Is, What Other Countries, Which Were Formerly Part Of The Soviet Bloc, Should Be Incorporated Into Western Institutions?
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I Think Fundamentalism Is This Radical Attitude Toward One's Own Identity And Civilization As Compared To Other People's Identities And Cultures.
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A Lot Of People Tend To Think I'm A Dogmatic Ideologue, Which I'm Not.
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The Most Widely Discussed Formulation Of [the One World Model] Was The "end Of History" Thesis Advanced By Francis Fukuyama. "we May Be Witnessing," Fukuyama Argued, "the End Of History As Such: That Is, The End Point Of Mankind's Ideological Evolution And The Universalization Of Western Liberal Democracy As The Final Form Of Human Government." The Future Will Be Devoted Not To Great Exhilarating Struggles Over Ideas But Rather To Resolving Mundane Economic And Technical Problems. And, He Concluded Rather Sadly, It Will All Be Rather Boring.
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Expectations Should Not Always Be Taken As Reality; Because You Never Know When You Will Be Disappointed.
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Thus, Biologically Speaking The American People Are Literally Only Half An Immigrant People.
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Both Sides Are Divided And Western Countries Collaborate With Muslim Countries And Vice Versa.
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Obviously Pakistan And The U.s. Are Very Different Countries, But We Have Common Geopolitical Interests In Preventing Communist Take Over In Afghanistan And Hence, Now That Pakistan Has A Government That We Can Cooperate With, Even Though It Is A Military Government, We Are Working Together With Them In Order To Promote Our Common Interests. But Obviously We Also Differ With Pakistan On A Number Of Issues.
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I Don't Think That The Israeli Lobby Is Unique. It May Differ From The Others In The Extent By Which It Is Focused On Just One Issue, Which Is The Survival Of Israel, Which Is Understandable, And Promoting Israeli Development And Aid To Israel, And So Forth And So On.
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Certainly Here In The U.s., We've Had Fundamentalist Movements That Have Taken Very Critical And Hostile Attitudes Toward Immigration And The Assimilation Of Immigrants Into Our Society And Culture. So These Tendencies Are Fairly Universal. The Problem Is What If They Get Out Of Hand And Become The Dominant Factor In A Society, Which Can Only Lead To The Oppression Of Minorities Or Even To War With Neighboring Societies With Differing Cultures. That's Why It Seems To Me It's Important To Try To Keep These Tendencies Toward Extremism Under Control.
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When I Think Of Countries That I Enjoyed Visiting, That I Would Want To Go Back To, Italy Would Be One, Japan Would Be Another. I've Only Been To Indonesia Once Or Twice And It Seems Like Such A Fascinating Country. I Guess India Certainly.
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I've Been To Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, And Kuwait For Brief Visits At Conferences, And They Are Very Interesting Countries.
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Well, I Think The United States First Of All Has To Recognize The World For What It Is.
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I Think In Theory, The United States Finds It Much Easier To Deal With Situations Where There Is A Leading Country. You Can Go To The Leaders Of That Country And Say, For Example, To India, "there Are All These Problems In Bangladesh, We Really Have To Do Something About It, What Do You Suggest We Can Do To Work Out A Common Policy?" But When You Don't Have The Equivalent Of India, You Have To Go Capital To Capital Trying To Put Together A Coalition, Which Is Extraordinarily Difficult, Especially In The Arab World, Because Of The Historic Rivalries And Branches Of Islam.
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Also, Of Course, For Most Of This Time Most Americans Thought Of America As A White Country With, At Best, Only A Very Segregated And Subordinate Role For Blacks.
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There Will Be Associations 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.
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Many More People In The World Are Concerned About Sports Than Human Rights.
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It Will Take A Long Time, And Certainly The West Will Remain The Dominant Civilization Well Into The Next Century, But The Decline Is Occurring.
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These Transnationalists Have Little Need For National Loyalty, View National Boundaries As Obstacles That Thankfully Are Vanishing, And See National Governments As Residues From The Past Whose Only Useful Function Is To Facilitate The Elite's Global Operations
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Past
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Iran Of Course Is Shiite, While The Bulk Of The Arabs Are Sunni, That Is A Problem Or Could Be A Problem. Also, There Is The Simple Fact That Iran Is Non-arab And Most Of The Muslims In The Middle East Are Arab.
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The Major Difference For Us In America With Respect To Hispanic Immigration Is That It Is So Large And That It Is Coming From Neighboring Countries Rather Than Those Countries Off The Atlantic Or Pacific. That Creates Different Issues And Different Problems For Us As Compared To The Past. It Is Still Very Different, However, From The Situation In Europe Where We See People With A Very Different Non-european Religion Coming From Neighboring Countries.
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Past
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The Relations Between Countries In The Coming Decade Are Most Likely To Reflect Their Cultural Commitments, Their Cultural Ties And Antagonism With Other Countries.
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Every Civilization Sees Itself As The Center Of The World And Writes Its History As The Central Drama Of Human History.
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People Have Multiple Identities.
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Israel Has Military Capabilities Including Nuclear Weapons, Far Surpassing Any Other Power In The Middle East, But It's A Small Country. The Rest Of The Middle Eastern Peoples Are Muslim And Israelis Are Not, So It Is Hardly In Any Position To Become The Leading Power.
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Critics Say That America Is A Lie Because Its Reality Falls So Far Short Of Its Ideals. They Are Wrong. America Is Not A Lie; It Is A Disappointment. But It Can Be A Disappointment Only Because It Is Also A Hope.
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