If there is one fixed star in American understandings of religion it is that government should not be in charge…
Choosing a religious leader
international affairs
Confronting non-violent Islamism
In the July/August issue of Foreign Affairs, Marc Lynch reviews Paul Berman's The Flight of the Intellectuals, taking the opportunity…
Spain moves to ban burqa
In the most recent European attempt to prevent radical Islam's spread, Spain's Senate voted this past Wednesday in favor of…
Obama’s religion ambassador
President Barack Obama has filled the post for ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. On June 16, the White House sent…
CFP: “Social Policy & Religion in the Middle East”
The 12th Mediterranean Research Meeting of the European University Institute---to be held in Florence, Italy, from April 6-9, 2011---will include…
Engagement for whose good?
It is coincidental but telling that Emile Nakhleh’s post supporting U.S. “engagement” with Muslim communities appeared the same week as…
Religion gone global: An interview with Reza Aslan
How many scholars of religions also run a film company? And how many members of the Council on Foreign Relations…
Engagement for the common good
I have been following the contributions and "debates" on The Immanent Frame in response to the Chicago Council report. My…
Religions and rights: An interview with Richard Amesbury
Though currently on sabbatical at the University of Zürich, Richard Amesbury teaches religious and philosophical ethics at the Claremont School…
Losing faith in peace
In the latest issue of Foreign Policy, Aaron David Miller, a long-time State Department official and advisor to six secretaries…