The standard of scholars engaging in international relations and geopolitical studies around the world varies, though I believe that Samuel Huntington is one of the greatest among them.

Why I am saying?

Huntington of course, is most well-known for his theory of clash of civilizations. This theory was first put forward in an article, which was later developed into his magnum opus The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order.

Huntington is often seen as a predictor, especially in the post-9/11 world. Christianity appears to be in serious conflict with Islam, with blood and violence spread all over the world, seemingly proves the correctness of Huntington's views. However, I think Huntington may be more of an observer. He saw something in the world that should have disappeared, but actually did not.

This is class

Class, of course, also includes ideology, values, wealth standards, preferences, and so on. These are certainly the most familiar aspects to the adherents of Marxism. After causing uproars in Britain and Paris, it shook the rest of the world and caused waves after waves of revolution. Countless heads rolled amidst clamors on the streets and the sounds of gunfire. Since then, the camps resulted by the Cold War became orderly and stable. The post-war economic development went smoothly, and people of all countries began to benefit from it. Later, with the rise of globalization and urbanization, and currency issuance driven by various reasons, the nominally middle class group was born. This class rapidly expands in various countries in the world, and the previous violent class struggle seemed to have gradually disappeared, at least it has become invisible. Everyone appears to be satisfied with life, or more accurately, with the yearning for the life they want to achieve, and the Americans call this "dream".

Yet, class never actually went away.

When globalization becomes unsustainable, when capital surplus swallows up the value of nominal assets, when climate issues require everyone to respond and sacrifice, when international relations are found to be actually equivalent to international exploitation, and when other hosts of issues emerge, people begins to discover that the once very annoying thing called class has not really disappeared. Divisions based on social and financial status still exist, and such differences have now become wider and wider.

With anger being reignited, left-wing and radical voices are amplified again, and even become the main theme everywhere.

Smart scholars of course, would notice this, and a sensitive and wise scholar like Huntington would of course immediately seize the opportunity to tell the world that the past has returned and the conflicts have begun all over again. Yet, he called this clash of "civilizations", replacing the terrible word "class" with a more fashionable term, i.e. "civilization".

Huntington was right. Conflicts between classes have never disappeared, and the conflicts between civilizations are still ongoing. We need to admit that differences do indeed exist. In the current world, we can see many different communities around us, hear different voices, and encounter all kinds of claims that some we cannot accept. These are certainly not the things we are used to in the past. Such things are all derived from differences in various aspects, i.e. urban-rural, values, cultures, skin colors, etc. We should not be surprised that the past is back. The differences in civilization are real, and this is reactionary. If we can face this and remain rational, then perhaps this will be a great reactionary.