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The Geopolitics of Religious Soft Power represents the first globally comparative study of the varying ways in which states incorporate religion and religious outreach into their external relations. Each chapter demonstrates how the history, religious culture, and geopolitical orientation of a particular country determines its capacity for using religion as part of a soft power strategy while simultaneously dictating the nature and shape of its religious outreach activities, its intended audiences, and likelihood of success or impact.
List of contents
- Acknowledgments
- List of Contributors
- 1. Thinking about Religion and Religious Soft Power in International Relations and Foreign Policy Analysis
- Peter Mandaville and Jon Hoffman
- 2. Tragedy or Irony: Geopolitical Grand Narratives, Religious Outreach, and US Soft Power
- Peter S. Henne and Gregorio Bettiza
- 3. "Putin-phonia": Harnessing Russian Orthodoxy to Advance Russia's Secular Foreign Policy
- Robert Blitt
- 4. Chinese Buddhism and Soft Power and Sharp Power: Geopolitical Strategy and Modality of Religion
- Yoshiko Ashiwa and David L. Wank
- 5. Turkey's Ambivalent Religious Soft Power in the Illiberal Turn
- Ahmet Erdi Öztürk
- 6. The Modi Government and the Uses and Limits of India's Religious Soft Power
- Sumit Ganguly
- 7. Shi'i Diplomacy: Religious Identity and Foreign Policy in the Axis of Resistance
- Edward Wastnidge
- 8. Hassan II and the Foundations of Moroccan Religious Soft Power
- Ann Wainscott
- 9. Religious Diplomacy in the Arab Gulf and the Politics of Moderate Islam
- Annelle Sheline
- 10. Indonesian Islam as Model for the World? Diplomacy, Soft Power, and the Geopolitics of 'Moderate Islam'
- James Hoesterey
- 11. Moderation as Jordanian Soft Power: Islam and Beyond
- Stacey Gutkowski
- 12. Israel's Religious Soft Power: Within and Beyond Judaism
- Claudia Baumgart-Ochse
- 13. Soft Power of the Catholic Papacy
- Timothy Byrnes
- 14. 'Brazil Above Everything or God Above Everyone?' The Sources of Brazil's Religious Soft Power
- Guilherme Casarões and Amy Erica Smith
- 15. Religious Soft Power: Promises, Limits, and Ways Forward
- Gregorio Bettiza and Peter S. Henne
About the author
Peter Mandaville is Senior Advisor for Religion & Inclusive Societies at the United States Institute of Peace and Professor of International Affairs in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. He is also a Senior Research Fellow at Georgetown University's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs. From 2015-2016 he was a Senior Advisor in the Office of Religion and Global Affairs at the U.S. State Department. Previous government experience includes serving as a member of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's Policy Planning Staff from 2011 to 2012, where he helped shape the U.S. response to the Arab Spring.
Summary
Religion features prominently in the international relations of many states around the world today. Whether mobilizing religious affinities as a form of public diplomacy, positioning religion as a force to counteract perceived ideological foes, or creating transnational networks of religious populism to support incumbent regimes--governments clearly perceive geopolitical utility in the power of religion. This volume explores how states across multiple regions and a diverse range of faith traditions incorporate religion as an aspect of their foreign policy.
Each subsequent chapter is written by a leading expert and explores the role of religion in the global engagement of a particular country. Brazil, China, India, Iran, Jordan, Indonesia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United States are all featured, as are states such as Israel and the Holy See, which by their nature have unique relationships with religion. The case studies illuminate various cross-national patterns, as well as continuities and discontinuities in the role of religion as a geopolitical tool. This volume aims to directly address gaps in scholarly knowledge with data and analysis and seeks to inform and shape scholarship, policymaking, and practice.
Additional text
The Geopolitics of Religious Soft Power stands as a pioneering work, delving into the diverse strategies employed by states as they integrate religion and religious outreach into their external relations...it positions itself as laying the foundation towards understanding this crucial, understudied aspect of international relations, especially in the face of a post-secular, multipolar era.
