Obama and the Drama Over International Religious Freedom Policy: An Insider's Perspective

Birdsall, Judd

doi:10.1080/15570274.2012.706016

Cited by 3 publications

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“…While this may have been true in the early years of the IRFA, during the Obama and Trump administrations, considerable progress has been made. Foreign Service Officers have been provided with online religious training programmes, and serve in an environment where religious freedom is increasingly prioritised (Birdsall 2012). The sense of OIRF being marginalised has been arrested through high profile events centring on the OIRF and Ambassador-at-Large Sam Brownback's close working relationship with Pompeo.…”

Section: Evaluating the Efficacy Of International Religious Freedom Promotionmentioning

confidence: 99%

International Religious Freedom Promotion and US Foreign Policy

Marsden

2020

Religions

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The freedom to practice one’s religious belief is a fundamental human right and yet, for millions of people around the world, this right is denied. Yearly reports produced by the US State Department, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, Open Doors International, Aid to the Church in Need and Release International reveal a disturbing picture of increased religious persecution across much of the world conducted at individual, community and state level conducted by secular, religious, terrorist and state actors. While religious actors both contribute to persecution of those of other faiths and beliefs and are involved in peace and reconciliation initiatives, the acceptance of the freedom to practice one’s faith, to disseminate that faith and to change one’s faith and belief is fundamental to considerations of the intersection of peace, politics and religion. In this article, I examine the political background of the United States’ promotion of international religious freedom, and current progress on advancing this under the Trump administration. International Religious Freedom (IRF) is contentious, and seen by many as the advancement of US national interests by other means. This article argues that through an examination of the accomplishments and various critiques of the IRF programme it is possible, and desirable, to discover what works, and where further progress needs to be made, in order to enable people around the world to enjoy freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

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Section: Evaluating the Efficacy Of International Religious Freedom Promotionmentioning

confidence: 99%

International Religious Freedom Promotion and US Foreign Policy

Marsden

2020

Religions

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With Friends Like These: Does American Soft Power Advance International Religious Freedom?

Zellman

Fox

2022

Religions

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The International Religious Freedom Act, passed by Congress in 1998, set international religious freedom promotion (IRF) as a core objective of American foreign policy. Although formally empowering the president to enact punitive sanctions in instances of extreme religious repression, IRF is primarily a soft power instrument, with the expressed intent to persuade rather than coerce states into greater respect for religious freedom. Nearly a quarter century since its enactment, however, religious discrimination has markedly increased worldwide. This paper therefore seeks to quantitatively evaluate the extent to which American soft power, measured via levels of popular approval for the United States in countries surveyed by various polling agencies from 2002 to 2014, has correlated with shifts in governmental religious discrimination (GRD) since 1998. We find that not only do higher levels of approval of the United States correlate with greater increases in GRD, but this effect is particularly robust in more democratic states, in which American soft power should presumably have a greater influence. These findings should be deeply troubling for IRF advocates, empirically validating prevalent concerns regarding the efficacy, priority, and viability of IRF as a foreign policy instrument.

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Promoting the Fundamental Human Right of Religious Liberty in US Foreign Policy

Rieffer-Flanagan¹

2015

GSTF J Law Soc Sci

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The fundamental right to freedom of religion and belief has been violated throughout the world. Although various American administrations discussed the importance of the right to freedom of religion, this right has often taken a backseat to realism. In addition there is no clear strategy in Washington to promote this right. If Washington developed a long term strategy it would be establishing the foundation so that the right of freedom of religion and belief could develop over time.

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Obama and the Drama Over International Religious Freedom Policy: An Insider's Perspective

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

International Religious Freedom Promotion and US Foreign Policy

International Religious Freedom Promotion and US Foreign Policy

With Friends Like These: Does American Soft Power Advance International Religious Freedom?

Promoting the Fundamental Human Right of Religious Liberty in US Foreign Policy

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