Faith-based diplomacy : trumping realpolitik / edited by Douglas Johnston.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Johnston, Douglas, 1938-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Religion and international relations.

Religion and politics.

Ethnic conflict--Religious aspects.

Ethnic conflict.

War--Religious aspects.

War.

Physical Description:

xxi, 270 pages : maps ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Oxford University Press, 2003.

Summary:

For most of the twentieth century, the most critical concerns of national security were balance of power politics and the global arms race. The attacks of September 11, 2001, and the motives behind them, however, demand a radical break with this tradition. If the United States is to prevail in its long-term contest with extremist Islam, it will need to re-examine old assumptions, expand the scope of its thinking to include religion and other "irrational" factors, and be willing to depart from past practice. A purely military response in reaction to such attacks will simply not suffice. What will be required is a long-term strategy of cultural engagement, backed by a deeper understanding of how others view the world and what is important to them. In some non-Western cultures, religion is a primary motivation for political action. Historically dismissed by Western policymakers as a divisive influence, religion in fact has significant potential for overcoming the obstacles that lead to paralysis and stalemate. The concept of incorporating religion as part of the solution to such problems is as simple as it is profound. It is long overdue. This book looks at five intractable conflicts and explores the possibility of drawing on religion as a force for peace. It builds upon the insights of Religion, the Missing Dimension of Statecraft (OUP 1994), which examined the role that religious or spiritual factors can play in preventing or resolving conflict, while achieving social change based on justice and reconciliation. The world-class authors writing in this volume suggest how the peacemaking tenets of five major world religions can be strategically applied in ongoing conflicts in which those religions are involved. Finally, the commonalities and differences between these religions are examined with an eye toward further applications in peacemaking and conflict resolution.

Contents:

Pt. 1. Faith-based diplomacy. Introduction: realpolitik expanded / Douglas Johnston ; Faith-based diplomacy and preventive engagement / Douglas Johnston and Brian Cox

Pt. 2. Applications. Kashmir: has religion a role in making peace? / Ainslie Embree ; Religion and conflict: the case of Buddhism in Sri Lanka / H.L. Seneviratne ; Judaism and peacebuilding in the context of Middle Eastern conflict ; Appendix: Peacemaking qualities of Judaism as revealed in sacred scripture / Marc Gopin ; Christianity in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo: from ethnic captive to reconciling agent / David A. Steele ; Conflict resolution as a normative value in Islamic law: handling disputes with non-Muslims / Khaled Abou El Fadl ; Conflict resolution as a normative value in Islamic law: application to the Republic of Sudan / Sulayman Nyang and Douglas Johnston

Pt. 3. Closure. Retrieving the missing dimension of statecraft: religious faith in the service of peacebuilding / R. Scott Appleby.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0195160894

OCLC:

50123289