Samuel P. Huntington quotes

Samuel P. Huntington was a prominent political scientist and author, widely known for his influential work on political development and democratization. Born in 1927, Huntington played a key role in shaping modern political science with his comprehensive analysis of global politics. His groundbreaking book, "The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order," gained international recognition. Throughout his career, Huntington taught at prestigious institutions like Harvard University and was a consultant to several U.S. presidents. Explore Samuel P. Huntington's intellectual contributions to political science and gain valuable insights into global affairs by delving into his thought-provoking books and scholarly articles. Learn more about his significant impact on understanding political change and democratic transitions in various societies worldwide.

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First of all, we haven't always welcomed immigrants.

- Samuel P. Huntington

Thus, biologically speaking the American people are literally only half an immigrant people.

- Samuel P. Huntington

Much of what we now consider to be problems concerning immigration and assimilation really concern Mexican immigration and assimilation.

- Samuel P. Huntington

In 1920, the West ruled huge amounts of the world.

- Samuel P. Huntington

Partial truths or half-truths are often more insidious than total falsehoods.

- Samuel P. Huntington

The great problem there is we have to have the cooperation of those other Asian countries.

- Samuel P. Huntington

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?

- Samuel P. Huntington

Total falsehoods can be easily exposed for what they are by citing exceptions to their claims. Hence, they are less likely to be accepted as the total truth.

- Samuel P. Huntington

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.

- Samuel P. Huntington

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?

- Samuel P. Huntington

We also thought of ourselves in racial and largely ethnic terms.

- Samuel P. Huntington

Our relationship with Mexico in this regard is unique for us, and in many respects unique in the world.

- Samuel P. Huntington

The other aspect of American identity worth focusing on is the concept of America as a nation of immigrants. That certainly is a partial truth. But it is often assumed to be the total truth.

- Samuel P. Huntington

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.

- Samuel P. Huntington

It was this society and culture that among other things - including economic opportunities here and repression in Europe - attracted subsequent generations of immigrants to this country.

- Samuel P. Huntington

And so in terms of territorial control, in terms of economic preeminence, the western share of the gross world product is declining as Asian societies in particular develop economically.

- Samuel P. Huntington

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.

- Samuel P. Huntington

Well, I think the United States first of all has to recognize the world for what it is.

- Samuel P. Huntington

They weren't immigrating to some existing society; indeed, they often did whatever they could do to destroy whatever existed here in the way of Indian society.

- Samuel P. Huntington

Finally, in my critique of the immigration image of America, it is also important to know that we're not only a nation of immigrants, but we are in some part a nation of emigrants, which often gets neglected.

- Samuel P. Huntington

The British were white, English, and Protestant, just as we were. They had to have some other basis on which to justify independence, and happily they were able to formulate the inalienable truths set forth in the Declaration.

- Samuel P. Huntington

Immigrants are people who leave one country, one society, and move to another society. But there has to be a recipient society to which the immigrants move.

- Samuel P. Huntington

We really only came around to accepting and integrating the propositional dimension of identity into a concept of ourselves at the time of the American Revolution.

- Samuel P. Huntington

The West hasn't reached its universal state as yet, although its close to it, but it certainly has evolved out of its warring state phase, which it was in for a couple of centuries.

- Samuel P. Huntington