With help from a former secretary of state, an influential think tank focusing on foreign relations has launched a new initiative that will study and explain the role religion plays in foreign policy.
The Council on Foreign Relations, with offices in New York City and Washington, designed the plan to expand on its existing foreign policy and religion lectures and roundtable talks. Workshops are being developed to bring religious figures together with influential foreign policy thinkers.
The effort's advisory committee includes former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
The initiative comes at a time when religion is playing a major role in the decisions of diplomats throughout the world. In recent weeks, tensions rose worldwide after Danish political cartoons lampooned the Muslim Prophet Muhammad, and conflict between Shiite and Sunni Muslims is having a profound impact on U.S. foreign policy in Iraq.
“My sense is that the timing for this educational initiative is just right,” said Luis E. Lugo, director of the Washington-based Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, and a member of the advisory committee. “It's time for foreign policy leaders to recognize the positives and negatives associated with involving religion in foreign policy and to acknowledge the growing interest in the topic, to generate public conversation.”
Programs supported by the Religion and Foreign Policy Initiative, introduced Feb. 6, will include a fellowship to a religious leader who will work closely with the council, as well as teleconferencing council meetings to a variety of religious figures.
The council also plans to expand the reaches of its Academic Conference Call Series to professors and students in higher education who focus on religion.
The Council was established in 1921 and is regarded as one of the most powerful organizations regarding American foreign policy. Its membership of more than 4,000 includes a diverse group of politicians, including former U.S. presidents, as well as media and other interested citizens. Past directors have included George H.W. Bush and Henry Kissinger. The council publishes Foreign Affairs magazine.
Religion News Service