AT THE CENTER
Religion and International Affairs
Organizations (15)
Interest in the intersection of religion and international affairs is growing around the world, and this database serves as a companion resource to the recently released edited volume Rethinking Religion and World Affairs, one of the first comprehensive guides to this complex topic. This page also includes links to the activities sponsored by the Henry R. Luce Initiative on Religion and International Affairs and to other networks of organizations and programs that address religion, society, and politics around the world.
The World Values Survey, directed by Ronald Inglehart at the University of Michigan, is an ongoing academic project by social scientists to assess the cultural, moral, political, and religious values and changes around the world. The geographic breadth and historical depth of the survey data make it a particular valuable social science resource. The project’s website makes much of its research available. Visitors to the site can view findings of the World Values Survey, an overview of its...
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is a federally funded, independent commission created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 that monitors the status of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief throughout the world and makes non-binding policy recommendations to the U.S. government. While the Office of International Religious Freedom at State is responsible for the "Annual Report on International Religious Freedom," USCIRF...
Under the purview of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief has a two-fold mandate: to identify barriers to the right to freedom of religion or belief while working to provide workable solutions to overcoming these barriers. The website includes links to the Rapporteur’s annual reports on religious freedom, which contain accounts of the situation of religious freedom in the places where the Rapporteur’s office conducts visits in a...
Launched in 2001, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life at the Pew Research Center uses rigorous social science research methods to promote a deeper understanding of issues at the intersection of religion and public affairs and deliver timely, impartial information to national opinion leaders, including government officials and journalists. In 2008 it released the landmark "US Religious Landscapes Survey," which discusses the religious affiliation, beliefs and practices, and social and...
Located at the University of Notre Dame, the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies sponsors academic research on peacemaking and helps practitioners become more effective. The Institute offers classes at the undergraduate and graduate level; programming emphasizes a productive dialogue between Notre Dame's Catholic heritage and other religious and secular traditions. Current research initiatives focus on non-military enforcement of international norms and the peacemaking role of...
The International Crisis Group (ICG) is a leading independent, non-partisan, source of analysis and advice to governments and intergovernmental bodies like the United Nations, European Union, and World Bank, on the prevention and resolution of deadly conflict. Its work combines field-based analysis, policy prescription, and high-level advocacy to warn of emerging crises and offer pragmatic solutions to ongoing conflicts. ICG publishes CrisisWatch, a monthly bulletin that provides updates on...
Led by internationally renowned sociologist of religion, Peter L. Berger, the Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs (CURA) at Boston University has served as a research and publication center for issues on culture and global development for over 20 years. As both an academic and policy center, CURA works closely with government, business, and media partners in exploring these topics. Recent conferences and publications have focused on issues ranging from secularism in Europe to...
Freedom House promotes democracy and freedom and opposes dictatorships around the world with ideologies from across the political spectrum (including religiously-based totalitarian regimes). Its work combines analysis of trends of freedom and democracy and their abuse, advocacy on behalf of human rights and democracy, and action to strengthen civil society, promote open government, defend human rights, and facilitate the free flow of information and ideas. It actively supports democratic...
Forum 18 is a Christian news and archive service that monitors religious freedom primarily in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. Its geographic reach also includes China/Tibet, North Korea, and Burma, as well as other Communist, post-Communist, and authoritarian nations and places where religious freedom is routinely violated. One of its best-known services is a daily news e-mail providing succinct but highly detailed reports on violations of religious freedom on a country-by-country...
The New York City-based Council on Foreign Relations is a foreign policy membership organization that publishes the bi-monthly journal Foreign Affairs and promotes understanding of American foreign policy through meetings, debate, and dialogue between its members, government officials, and other interested citizens. Its main page allows for searches on a variety of issues. Although religion is listed as a sub-issue under the main issue heading of “Society and Culture”, entering religion on...
Founded in March 1999, the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID) is a Washington, DC-based organization dedicated to studying Islamic and democratic political thought and merging them into a modern Islamic democratic discourse in the United States and around the world. The center also hopes to improve Americans' understanding of Islam's approach towards these issues. In addition, CSID sponsors an annual conference, international workshops, public lectures and seminars,...
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a bipartisan, nonprofit organization that seeks to advance global security and prosperity by providing strategic insights and practical policy solutions to decision makers in government, international institutions, the private sector, and civil society. CSIS has 25 programs grouped under three themes: defense and security policy, global challenges, and regional transformation. The center's website offers further information on...
The Carnegie Council is a leading voice promoting ethical leadership on issues of war, peace, religion in politics, and global social justice. It convenes agenda-setting forums and creates educational opportunities and information resources for a worldwide audience of teachers and students, journalists, international affairs professionals, and concerned citizens. Its work focuses on three broad themes: ethics, war, and peace; global social justice; and religion in politics. In addition to...
The Brookings Institution supports independent scholarship and research that contributes to the public policy debate in the United States. The Institution supports a number of in-house programs and centers dedicated to studying particular issues and world regions, as well as external operational centers in China and Qatar. Its “World” section focuses on a variety of issues related to global governance, global economics, development, security, and foreign policy issues; current research...
ARDA’s purpose is to democratize access to the best data on religion. Online since 1998, the initial archive was targeted at researchers interested in American religion. The targeted audience and the data collection have both greatly expanded since 1998, now including both American and international collections and developing features for educators, journalists, religious congregations, and researchers. ARDA’s international surveys and data include cross-national, multiple nation, and...