Four guided missiles packed with explosive material hurtled into the morning sky. Though the day was brilliant blue and cloudless, no one saw them coming. They were aimed at a nation that did not see itself at war. Moreover, it was a nation convinced that missiles fired in anger no longer posed a serious threat to its security. The weapons were conventional in the strict sense: they did not carry nuclear warheads.
Posts Tagged ‘international relations’
June 5th, 2012
Blurring the boundaries
posted by Timothy Samuel Shah
September 13th, 2011
The Sacred and the Sovereign
posted by Amanda Kaplane-International Relations has recently published “The Sacred and the Sovereign,” a collection of short articles by Jeffrey Haynes, Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, Shireen Hunter, Brendan Sweetman, J. Paul Martin, Tariq Modood, and Barry A. Kosmin.
September 2nd, 2011
A suspension of (dis)belief
posted by Elizabeth Shakman Hurd
Most academic discussions in political science and international relations presuppose a fixed definition of the secular and the religious and proceed from there. Most realist, liberal, English school, feminist, and historical-materialist approaches treat religion as either private by prior assumption or a cultural relic to be handled by anthropologists. Even constructivists, known for their attention to historical contingency and social identity, have paid scant attention to the politics of secularism and religion, focusing instead on the interaction of preexisting state units to explain how international norms influence state interests and identity or looking at the social construction of states and the state system with religion left out of the picture.
February 2nd, 2011
Myths of Mubarak
posted by Elizabeth Shakman Hurd
The term ‘secular’ and its conceptual affiliates are doing a lot of work in misrepresenting the uprising in Egypt. ‘Secular’ politics has been taken to mean ‘good’ politics (limited democratization, stability, and support for the peace treaty with Israel), and ‘Islamic’ politics is being translated as ‘bad’ politics (the myriad dangers allegedly posed by the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies). Accounts of the current situation in Egypt are handicapped by an inability to read politics in Egypt and Muslim-majority societies outside of this overly simplistic and politically distorting lens.
December 16th, 2010
Religion and the United Nations
posted by Jessica PolebaumThe September issue of CrossCurrents, co-edited by Azza Karam and Matthew Weiner, examines the relationship between religion and the United Nations, offering a wide range of essays exploring scholarly interpretations and reflections from the perspective of both faith based organizations and the UN. View the full issue here (sub. req.).
June 4th, 2010
American Katechon
posted by Jonathan VanAntwerpenNicolas Guilhot on when political theology became international relations theory.
November 5th, 2008
History as guide
posted by Elizabeth ProdromouYesterday’s presidential election in the United States and the 10th anniversary of the U.S. International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) last week provide perfect bookends for considering the past, present, and possible futures of the role of religion in U.S. foreign policy. [...]
October 27th, 2008
Religious freedom & U.S. foreign policy
posted by Thomas F. FarrTen years ago today President Clinton signed the landmark International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), a law its supporters hoped would put religious freedom at the core of American foreign policy. During the ensuing decade IRF policies have produced admirable and encouraging results, including humanitarian successes and institutional first steps toward altering the secularist culture at the State Department. However, it cannot yet be said that religious freedom is anywhere near the center of U.S. foreign policy. The next administration should elevate and broaden IRF policy in order to serve both the humanitarian and the national security interests of the United States. [...]
September 11th, 2008
The politics of secularism in international relations
posted by Laura DuaneFrom an interview with Elizabeth Shakman Hurd on her book, The Politics of Secularism in International Relations.
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