Religion and Security in World Affairs Workshop

A Multinational Group of Soliders Walks in Front of a Mosque in Kandahar, Afghanistan

May 7- 8, 2014

Religion and security considerations intersect in multiple, complex ways across the globe and are thus consequential for government policy, strategy, and engagement. Workshop participants explored the multi-dimensional context of religion on the world stage, including its role in the phases of conflict, terrorism, peace operations, and development. An enhanced perspective on these factors will inform what has largely been a neglected area in U.S. national security policy: how stakeholders can understand and address urgent contemporary security challenges with religious implications. The speakers, largely drawn from the Washington, D.C. policy community, included academics, specialists, and individuals with a wide range of government and security expertise. This workshop was an opportunity to better understand religion as a set of factors that cannot be ignored in international security and to overcome resistance to engaging this sensitive topic in foreign policy conversations.

This workshop was sponsored by the Naval War College and held on its campus. The Berkley Center served in an advisory capacity, and the Berkley Center's Katherine Marshall and Eric Patterson were among the speakers. Other speakers include retired Georgetown professor Paul Pillar, Will Inboden (University of Texas-Austin and the Berkley Center's Religious Freedom Project), Hassan Abbas, Dayne Nix, and others.

Discover similar content through these related topics and regions.

Participants

Opens in a new window