Faith Based Diplomacy Trumping Realpolitik

For most of the twentieth century, the most critical concerns of national security have been balance-of-power politics and the global arms race. The religious conflicts of this era and the motives behind them, however, demand a radical break with this tradition. If the United States is to prevail in its long-term contest with extremist Islam, it will need to re-examine old assumptions, expand the scope of its thinking to include religion and other "irrational" factors, and be willing to depart from past practice. A purely military response in reaction to such attacks will simply not suffice. What will be required is a long-term strategy of cultural engagement, backed by a deeper understanding of how others view the world and what is important to them. In non-Western cultures, religion is a primary motivation for political actions. Historically dismissed by Western policymakers as a divisive influence, religion in fact has significant potential for overcoming the obstacles that lead to paralysis and stalemate. The Incorporation of religion as part of the solution to such problems is as simple as it is profound. It is long overdue. This book looks at five intractable conflicts and explores the possibility of drawing on religion as a force for peace. It builds upon the insights of Religion, the Missing Dimension of Statecraft (OUP, 1994) -- which examined the role that religious or spiritual factors can play in preventing or resolving conflict -- while achieving social change based on justice and reconciliation. The world-class authors writing in this volume suggest how the peacemaking tenets of five major world religions can be strategically applied in ongoing conflicts in which those religions are involved. Finally, the commonalities and differences between these religions are examined with an eye toward further applications in peacemaking and conflict resolution.

For most of the twentieth century, the most critical concerns of national security have been balance-of-power politics and the global arms race. The religious conflicts of this era and the motives behind them, however, demand a radical break with this tradition. If the United States is to prevail in its long-term contest with extremist Islam, it will need to re-examine old assumptions, expand the scope of its thinking to include religion and other "irrational" factors, and be willing to depart from past practice. A purely military response in reaction to such attacks will simply not suffice. What will be required is a long-term strategy of cultural engagement, backed by a deeper understanding of how others view the world and what is important to them.In non-Western cultures, religion is a primary motivation for political actions. Historically dismissed by Western policymakers as a divisive influence, religion in fact has significant potential for overcoming the obstacles that lead to paralysis and stalemate. The Incorporation of religion as part of the solution to such problems is as simple as it is profound. It is long overdue.This book looks at five intractable conflicts and explores the possibility of drawing on religion as a force for peace. It builds upon the insights of Religion, the Missing Dimension of Statecraft (OUP, 1994) -- which examined the role that religious or spiritual factors can play in preventing or resolving conflict -- while achieving social change based on justice and reconciliation. The world-class authors writing in this volume suggest how the peacemaking tenets of five major world religions can be strategically applied in ongoing conflicts in which those religions are involved. Finally, the commonalities and differences between these religions are examined with an eye toward further applications in peacemaking and conflict resolution.

Interfaith dialogue is a practice that could benefit diplomatic strategies but has not yet been brought into diplomacy’s scope. This paper uses the theoretical construct of faith-based diplomacy to recommend interfaith dialogue as a viable strategy within diplomatic activities.

Imagine being 28 years old, pregnant with twins and told you have cancer. This is exactly what happened to Annette Kramer, a young mother from Utah who was also a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is a book about a Latter-day Saint woman; but it is not just for Latter-day saints. This is a story about someone with cancer; but it's not just for cancer victims. And yes, it's a story about dying. But more importantly it's a story about living. Cancer may ravage the body, but it doesn't have to conquer the spirit. One lesson we can learn from Annettes' life is that dying is not the worst thing that can happen to a person --- not living is. During her illness Annette rarely ever showed the fear she felt. She hardly complained of the pain that we now know she had. She put on a brave front. All who knew her remarked often about what a pillar of strength she was. Her deep faith, love in God and her family was the well from which she withdrew the energy to meet each day. But even Annette was human. And it is through her story, told in her own words, that we learn what went on inside her heart and mind. She naturally struggled with the things we would all expect. But how she handled it and how she endured is the real legacy she leaves for all of us.

The rise of religion and religious actors combined with nonstate actors’ increasing influence in the international order has become the new normal. These fundamental changes in the security environment call for a new paradigm to address national security concerns. That paradigm must acknowledge the cultural and historical factors at the heart of many identity-based conflicts and advance the role of nation-states in resolving them. That emerging paradigm is faith-based diplomacy, and this book—written by one of the world’s leading experts—describes the principles and methodology of this form of engagement in the strategic political realm. It is informed by twenty-five years of experience in some of the world’s roughest neighborhoods, including East Central Europe and the Balkans, Sudan, Kashmir, and the Middle East. Canon Brian Cox is an ordained Episcopal priest; a pastor in Santa Barbara, California; a diplomat with a Washington, DC, nongovernmental organization; and a professor in a law school–based conflict-resolution program in Southern California.

This book examines the ambiguous role that Christianity played in South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). It has two objectives: to analyse the role Christianity played in the TRC and to highlight certain consequences that may be instructive to future international conflict resolution processes. Religion and conflict resolution is an area of significant importance. Ongoing conflicts involving Palestinians and Israelis, Muslims and Hindus, and even radical Islamic jihadists and Western countries have heightened the awareness of the potential power of religion to fuel conflict. Yet these religious traditions also promote peace and respect for others as key components in doing justice. Examining the potential role religion can play in generating peace and justice, specifically Christianity in South Africa's TRC, is of utmost importance as religiously inspired violence continues to occur. This book highlights the importance of accounting for religion in international conflict resolution.

In Pathways for Theology in Peacebuilding: Ecumenical Approaches to Just Peace Sara Gehlin maps out theological resources for peacebuilding and discusses the meaning of just peace from the perspectives of theological ethics, biblical interpretation, spirituality, and ecumenical vision.

This book describes how the United States can integrate religious considerations into its foreign policy, moving towards a new leadership paradigm that effectively counters the challenge of Islamist extremism. How should the United States deal with the jihadist challenge and other religious imperatives that permeate today's geopolitical landscape? Religion, Terror, and Error: U.S. Foreign Policy and the Challenge of Spiritual Engagement argues that what is required is a longer-term strategy of cultural engagement, backed by a deeper understanding of how others view the world and what is important to them. The means by which that can be accomplished are the subject of this book. This work achieves three important goals. It shows how religious considerations can be incorporated into the practice of U.S. foreign policy; offers a successor to the rational-actor model of decision-making that has heretofore excluded "irrational" factors like religion; and suggests a new paradigm for U.S. leadership in anticipation of tomorrow's multipolar world. In describing how the United States should realign itself to deal more effectively with the causal factors that underlying religious extremism, this innovative treatise explains how existing capabilities can be redirected to respond to the challenge and identifies additional capabilities that will be needed to complete the task.