MANILA -- In 1996 Samuel Huntington published his epochal work "The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order." In it, he argues that, since the demise of the Cold War, cultural divides have become the focal points of international conflicts. Judging from recent editorials in American and other newspapers, I get the impression that humanity today is confronted with a new and very different clash -- an increasingly bitter and highly emotional confrontation between supporters and opponents of the sole superpower.

I am not referring to the escalating conflict between the United States and its allies, with the "alliance of the willing" on one side and Iraq and other "axis of evil" rogues on the other. I am talking about the deepening split that runs straight through the community of democratic nations -- a split that has also divided public opinion in all major democratic countries I can think of.

Whenever people talk politics -- in private or public -- these days, it does not take long before the role of the U.S. in international relations is brought up. If there were an international contest for the political word of the year, "anti-Americanism" would stand a good chance of making it to the top.