This paper examines the implications of religious resurgence for international relations (IR). It argues that the rationalist character of IR mainstream theories makes them reluctant to factor in religion into the analysis of international relations but instead treat religion as being irrelevant in the conduct of state actors. However, the paper takes exception to this foundational position and avers inter alia that religion transcends the unobservable spiritual meaning to material reality with grave repercussions for the working of the international system and the foreign policy of states. The paper recommends a rethink and expansion of IR discipline to accommodate the ever visible impact of religion in international relations.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.