What made Samuel Huntington so “prescient” was simply his willingness to see things as they are – not to deny them out of fear (“Samuel P. Huntington, 1827-2008,” Editorial, Dec. 30). However, the “clash of civilizations” is over-hyped. What’s moving civilizations toward conflict is not so much differences in culture, but the machinations of evil individuals who hijack institutions that influence and control events, taking advantage of discontent to wreak havoc on ALL civilizations.

Richard Reay, The Bronx