Our Cultural Divides ; What Happens When 'Anglos,' Others Don't Mix

Summary

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There is no question that our nation is in dire straits. But so far consensus on the cause and nature of the crisis - to say nothing of the solution - eludes us. In his new book, "Who Are We?: The Challenges to America's National Identity," Samuel Huntington contends that many of our problems stem from our wavering sense of identity, rather than from the more intrinsic structures of our lives which others have faulted. Arguing that the greatest internal threats to the nation come from the potential for cultural division, especially between "Anglo" and "Hispanic" groups, he calls for a re- commitment to our Anglo-Protestant origins.

The Albert J. Weatherhead III university professor at Harvard, bestselling author of "The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order" (1998) and formerly a founding editor of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Huntington thus turns here from the sources of conflict throughout the world to the problem of social cohesion at home.

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Our Cultural Divides ; What Happens When 'Anglos,' Others Don't Mix

While immigration is nothing new to Americans, the influx of 23 million immigrants since the 1960s differs drastically in character from earlier waves. Whereas earlier immigrants tended to assimilate to the dominant culture, recent developments - multiculturalism and the celebration of diversity, businesses' embrace of immigrant workers and ethnic markets, cultural relativism - now make pressures for as...

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