Are We Coming Apart?

Samuel Huntington argues that “if peoples and countries with similar cultures (that is, values, traditions, religions) are coming together, then countries made up of different cultures are in danger of coming apart. He argues in ‘Who Are We?’ that multiculturalism, diversity and bilingualism in the United States are strengthening racial, ethnic and other ‘subnational identities’ at the expense of an overarching national identity, while global business ties, global communications and global concerns (about matters like the environment and women’s rights) are increasingly promoting ‘transnational’ identities among American elites. As a result, Mr. Huntington suggests, the United States is not only undergoing a profound identity crisis, but it may eventually find its very existence threatened.”