To ignore religious views and leaders in U.S. foreign policy would be to ignore a major part of what shapes societies, as religious actors often act as an anchor for communities and occupy a position of trust and influence. In recognition of this, the White House released the first-ever national strategy on religious leader and faith community engagement in U.S. foreign policy in 2013. A decade later, USIP gathered some of the key players who contributed to the strategy to reflect on the importance of long-term U.S. religious engagement abroad, lessons learned from the last decade and why relationships with religious actors are not just good for U.S. national security, but for global security more broadly.
The Latest: Three Things to Know About Religious Engagement in U.S. Foreign Policy
Related Publications
Religious Actors in Formal Peace Processes
Despite the significant impact—both real and potential—that religious actors and communities can have on formal peace processes, there is little research on or analysis of their engagement as part of these processes. This report aims to remedy this deficit by examining whether, when, how, and to what extent religious actors have been engaged in formal peace and political transition processes.
Mapping the Religious Landscape of Ukraine
Religion and religious actors have been important influences on the occupation of Crimea and on hybrid warfare issues in eastern Ukraine since 2014. Since Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion, they have influenced social dynamics within Ukraine as a whole. This report analyzes the nuanced connections between religion and society, which are crucial to understanding the conflict, and offers lessons that can guide effective, feasible peacemaking and peacebuilding interventions.
The Latest @ USIP: Peacebuilding Lessons from Northern Ireland’s Religious Actors
One of the keys to the Northern Ireland peace process was patience — and with it, a long-term commitment from religious actors to pursue nonviolent avenues of ending the conflict. Reverend Gary Mason, a senior research fellow at Maynooth University, discusses how longstanding relationships between religious actors and their communities can open doors for dialogue that might be unavailable to other peacebuilders and how his experience in Northern Ireland can inform his new work to promote peace in the Middle East.
The Latest @ USIP: Religious Actors Work Together for Peace in the DRC
Religious leaders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are banding together to help prevent conflict and violence ahead of elections planned for later this year. Monsignor Donatien Nshole and Reverend Eric Nsenga, who represent two of the largest church organizations in the country, discuss their efforts to support better governance in the DRC, what’s blocking political agreements from being implemented, and the importance of civic engagement at the local level to maintain peace.