What is the clash of civilisation theory and how does it persist today?

Huntington presented the clash of civilisation theory in 1996 as a response to the end of the Cold War era. He argued that instead of an ideological clash, that had existed in the bipolar world order, all future conflicts would be upon religious or cultural grounds. He split the world into different civilisations highlighing Islam and the West as a key area of concern. Each civilisation is hermetically sealed with a traditional set of values and beliefs that exist within it, for example, in Islam they share religion, language and ethnicity to form a strong identity.The extent to which this theory persists today can be challenged. However, it can be seen that that the Islam versus West distinction still exists. The Middle East region has been penetrated by the West throughout the centuries from colonialism to the Cold War and the spread of neo-liberal values to humanitarian aid. Therefore, the regions relationship with the West has been inflicted with tension. For example, the religious fundamentalism of organisations like Daesh could be argued as a culturally stimulated response to said penetration. Despite this, ideology still exists a source of conflict in global politics, as seen in the recent death of Fidel Castro of Cuba. The impact of communism still persists and continues to cause tension in the region.