Early in the essay, Huntington says that Westerners tend to think of nation-states as the principal actors in global affairs. He points out that this is a relatively recent phenomenon and that throughout human history, it has been civilizations that have steered the course of events. In drawing attention to the longevity and centrality of civilizational influence, Huntington lays the groundwork for his claim that civilization is at the core of individual identity.

Huntington defines a civilization as a “cultural entity.” It is not something contained within borders, like a nation, or something that one can join by adopting certain policies, like an ideological bloc. A civilization is the highest cultural grouping and the broadest level of identity short of common humanity; civilization encompasses ethnic, national, local, and familial identities, and it is more stable than many of them. For instance, while a person can move out of their city or become a resident of a different country, someone who identifies with Western civilization is likely to do so wherever they go. This stability is part of what gives civilizational identity its power to unite otherwise disparate groups: Huntington argues that there is a commonality between someone from Ohio and someone from London, as despite living thousands of miles apart, they are united by the customs, traditions, values, and history of the West.