How to make sense of religion in foreign policy – domestic forces in international politics

This event is the second in a two-part series on the intersections between religion and international politics. In this webinar, our speakers discuss how religion in domestic policy can manifest itself in international relations, illustrated by examples from India, Russia and the discourse on human rights and religion.

In the first part of this series the speakers discussed the secular world order and its underlying assumptions about the separation of religion from politics that define international politics.

In this second part, domestic politics is used as the starting point for exploring how religion can play a role in foreign policy. In many countries around the world, religion and deities are present in political discourse and relations between representatives of organised religion and the state is of great political importance.

What does this look like in countries with a history that differs from Western Europe and does the relevance of religion in their domestic politics also affect the form and substance of their foreign policies?

Speakers:
Prof. Erin K. Wilson, Associate Professor of Global Politics and Religion, Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies at University of Groningen
Prof. Alicja Curanović, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Political Science and International Studies, University of Warsaw
Dr. Henrik Chetan Aspengren, Acting Head of UI’s Asia Programme and Research Fellow.

Moderator:
Dr. Rouzbeh Parsi, Head of UI’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.

Information

Date: Thursday 15 April 2021
Language: English

Part one: Secular orders and religious states

The first webinar in the series explores how to make sense of religion and the international order by looking at the United States, Iran and the European Union.

The starting point of this conversation is based on two common misconceptions. In the Western world, states are believed to have become more and more secular and the interplay between is them no longer driven by religious antagonisms. Therefore, religion is largely seen as a matter that does not concern states. In addition, foreign policy is often perceived as separate from domestic societal dynamics.

Nevertheless it is evident that many societies are more religious than their formal constitutional order indicate and that these convictions constitute an important element in how the states formulate their foreign policies.

Speakers:
Prof. Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, Professor of Politics and Religious Studies and Crown Chair in Middle East Studies, Northwestern University.
Ms. Merete Bilde, policy advisor at the European External Action Service (EEAS) specialised on issues at the cross section of religion and foreign policy , European Union.
Dr. Rouzbeh Parsi, Head of UI's Middle East and North Africa Programme.

Watch part one here!

How to make sense of religion in foreign policy – domestic forces in international politics

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