IGE's Approach to Religion and Security
By IGE on 16 November 2010
Our collection of religion and security resources draws from IGE's various domestic and international conferences; web articles from IGE's main website, www.globalengage.org; print articles from IGE's flagship journal, The Review of Faith & International Affairs; and, web-exclusives first published on the journal's website, RFIAonline.org.
IGE's Approach to Religion and Security
Forthcoming Volume on Religion, Identity, and Global Governance
30 September 2010
In his chapter in the forthcoming volume, Religion, Identity, and Global Governance: Ideas, Evidence, and Practice, Dr. Chris Seiple argues that as various disciplines and communities make fundamental shifts in their self and global awareness—from theory to reality, religion to belief, tolerance to respect, and defense to security—a more holistic approach to traditional international affairs is taking place.
Converting the Foreign Policy Elite
Chris Seiple, 24 February 2010
Writing in The Washington Post's On Faith blog, IGE President Chris Seiple reviews the Chicago Council on Global Affairs' recent report on religion and the making of U.S. foreign policy.
IGE President Chris Seiple Addresses National Security Agency
10 February 2010
On 3 February 2010, Dr. Chris Seiple addressed the National Security Agency (NSA) at the 2010 Religious Diversity Symposium, the second-ever religion and security forum at NSA.
America's Greatest Soft Power: Religious Freedom
Chris Seiple, 10 January 2008
This article (based on the presentation Dr. Seiple gave on January 8, 2008, at Calvin College) analyzes the state of American foreign policy and draws lessons from the experiences of the Institute for Global Engagement on what it means to be an American Christian and an advocate for religious freedom stewarding this power.
Chris Seiple, 7 June 2007
Reporting on his 2007 trip to Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan, Dr. Chris Seiple notes: "There is only one civilization, a global civilization defined by our common humanity, created by a global God."
Religion & Security Conference in Central Asia
21 May 2007
IGE's Council on Faith & International Affairs co-sponsored a two-day conference on "New Views on Religion & Security in Central Asia: A Workshop for Practitioners" in Issykkul, Kyrgyzstan, from 20-21 May 2007.
The Role of Religion in Winning the Long War
Chris Seiple, 6 March 2007
Providing an analysis of U.S. policy and counterinsurgency strategy post-September 11, Dr. Seiple notes, "We must engage the world with a realism that respects the political and spiritual power of religion and that understands that only good theology defeats bad theology."
Practical Steps in Northwest Frontier Province
Chris Seiple, 1 June 2006
Upon return from a 2006 trip to Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP), Dr. Chris Seiple provides strategic analysis of religion and politics in this crucial region.
Religion & Realpolitik: Recommendations for the President
Chris Seiple, 2 November 2004
On Election Day 2004, Chris Seiple advises the nation's leader "that we must strike at the roots of our challenges, not merely hack at the leaves."
Chris Seiple, 13 September 2004
This article originally appeared on GovernmentExecutive.com
Three years, two wars and two political conventions later, we finally seem to be coming to grips with the national security implications of September 11.
Religion and the New Global Counterinsurgency
Chris Seiple, 2 September 2003
Now is the time to revisit the words and phrases we use to describe the portentous global struggle we are now engaged in, ensuring that those words have some relation to its nature. This is foremost the responsibility of both the statesman and commander.
Chris Seiple, 20 May 2003
This article originally appeared on GovernmentExecutive.com
In Iraq, we had the perfect troop strength to win the war but we could not anticipate the troops required to secure streets, museums, nuclear sites and mass graves? We tend to think that peace follows war in linear fashion. But nothing could be further from the truth. The fact of the matter is that American military commanders are not educated to enable peace and that diplomatic leaders are not educated to truly understand the role of force. We need a new model.
The Grand Strategy: Sustainment
Chris Seiple, 25 April 2003
American actions on the international and Iraqi stage will establish new patterns of global relations. If America is to continue to bear the banner of freedom into this new century, it must possess a grand strategy — sustainment.
Religion and Security Study Guide
The Study Guide below is designed to guide discussion and prompt readers to apply the themes found in Religion & Security: The New Nexus In International Relations (Rowman & Littlefield, 2004) to their own study and practice of international affairs.
Dennis Hoover, The Review of Faith & International Affairs, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Winter 2009)
The role of chaplains in religiously complex theatres of operation is beginning to receive the sustained attention it deserves. More resources are needed to deepen the discussion and make it more accessible to military personnel, civilian policy makers, and the interested public.
Ready ... or Not?: Equipping the U.S. Military Chaplain for Inter-Religious Liaison
Chris Seiple, The Review of Faith & International Affairs, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Winter 2009)
Chaplains are not yet fully equipped to serve as inter-religious liaisons and religious-affairs advisers. A number of recommendations, if implemented, would better educate and train chaplains for today's challenges.
Cashing in on Religion's Currency?: Ethical Challenges for a Post-secular Military
John Carlson, The Review of Faith & International Affairs, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Winter 2009)
The military needs a deeper conceptual understanding of religion, and chaplains alone cannot fill the military's religion gaps. Rather, religion—or what we might call more broadly the spiritual dimension of war—is everybody's "problem."
The Kingdom of Jordan: Intra-faith Dialogue, Inter-faith Diplomacy
Drew Kumpf, Web-Exclusive from RFIAonline.org, 20 March 2009
Jordan has initiated constructive dialogue within the Islamic community, and the country is playing an increasingly significant role promoting peace and religious coexistence.
Making the Case for Religious Freedom within the Islamic Tradition
Asma Afsaruddin, The Review of Faith & International Affairs, Vol. 6, No. 2 (Summer 2008)
Plausible interpretations of Muslim texts can lead to robust endorsement of religious freedom. However, the question of who may authoritatively make interpretive decisions is not an easy one to answer.
From the Editor: Interrogating Torture
Dennis Hoover, The Review of Faith & International Affairs, Vol. 5, No. 2 (Summer 2007)
Torture, in America as well as the Muslim world, is an uncomfortable issue we must confront. Diverse religious groups are beginning to speak up.
Memo to the State: Religion and Security
Chris Seiple, The Review of Faith & International Affairs, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Spring 2007)
Authentic, informed religion is the best antidote to extremism and religious manipulation.
Isaiah's Vision of Human Security: Virtue-Ethics and International Politics
Scott Thomas, The Review of Faith & International Affairs, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Winter 2006)
For Isaiah the concept of justice is more than legal equity; it is a sustainable positive peace, encompassing the concepts of development and well-being.
From Fear to Freedom: Islam in Central Asia
Anna Littauer Carrington, Web-Exclusive from RFIAonline.org, 1 October 2008
The role of traditional Islam and the cooption of Islam by authoritarian governments are overlooked elements in the post-Soviet order in Central Asia.
"Evangelicals for a Two-state Solution": A Muslim Perspective
Tarek Ghanem, Web-Exclusive from RFIAonline.org, 18 February 2008
The open letter from leading U.S. Evangelicals to President Bush, despite its Abrahamic omissions, is an exemplary undertaking for Christian-Muslim relations and for Middle East peacemaking.
Peter Nasuti, Web-Exclusive from RFIAonline.org, 5 July 2005
Peter Nasuti takes a second look at "political Islam," arguing that it should not necessarily be equated with a victory for Islamist terrorism in places like Uzbekistan.
Chris Seiple, Web-Exclusive from RFIAonline.org, 25 May 2004
Chris Seiple contends that the leadership failure at Abu Ghraib could prove to be a defining moment in 21st century international relations.
Security, Stability, and Religious Freedom
Robert Seiple, Web-Exclusive from RFIAonline.org, 13 February 2004
Ambassador Robert Seiple's February 11, 2004 testimony before the House Committee on International Relations, where he expounded on the dynamics of international security and religious freedom in light of the war on terror.
Religion and the New Global Counterinsurgency
Chris Seiple, Web-Exclusive from RFIAonline.org, 2 September 2003
Chris Seiple argues that success in the war on terror requires a grand strategy incorporating, among other things, a much better understanding of religion.
Joshua White, Web-Exclusive from RFIAonline.org, 4 October 2001
Josh White speaks with Neamat Nojumi, a scholar of Central and Southwest Asia, about Afghanistan before the Taliban.
Last updated 16 November 2010