ABSTRACT
The swift collapse of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan under the weight of American military power marks the defeat of one of the more prominent ideas to emerge from the ashes of the Cold War: Samuel Huntington's thesis about a "clash of civilizations". The September 11 attacks on the United States were the first real test of the Huntington thesis. Amid the initial shock waves of the attacks, many saw its vindication. This view gained strength when George W. Bush used the world "crusade", with its connotations of a Christian holy war against Muslims. The attacks themselves were presented by the perpetrators as Islamic holy war against Christians and Jews. Yet the response of governments and peoples around the world has proved that this was no clash of civilizations. What emerged was an old-fashioned struggle over the interests and principles that have traditionally governed international relations. Civilizational affinities played only a secondary role. The world's Aluslim nations condemned the terrorist attacks. Many recognized the US' right to retaliate against the Taliban for sheltering Al-Qaeda. Some offered material and logistical assistance. From Saudi Arabia to Pakistan, from Iran to Indonesia, Islamic nations denounced bin Laden.
