Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs - Religion in International Affairs

Aisha Ahmad: Knowledge Without Action Is Injustice

Dominic Contreras — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 09:06:30 -0500

As a child, Aisha Ahmad remembers vividly the arms bazaars in Peshawar and the throngs of bearded mujahedeen commanders as they passed through her grandfather’s smoke laden offices in the Pakistani frontier province.Though she was born in the UK and grew up in Canada, her family retained strong ties with their native community and during her youth Ahmad regularly traveled to the unruly Pakistan-Afghanistan border region.

The Business of Islamism: A Rational Look at Political Islam in Somalia

Aisha Ahmad — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 09:05:26 -0500

"The rise of political Islam in failed states is one of the most pressing security concerns in the world today. Given the increasingly tense interaction between the United States and Islamic countries, such as Pakistan and Iran, the potential for new Islamic regimes emerging out of failed states in Africa, Asia and the Middle East could add a notable degree of uncertainty to future international relations," writes Aisha Ahmad, a research fellow with the Belfer Center's International Security Program/Program on Religion in International Affairs.

Hot Off the Presses

Susan M. Lynch — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 09:03:18 -0500

A brief survey of recent publications by Belfer Center affiliates.

Religious Freedom and Religious Extremism

Monica Duffy Toft — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 11:33:42 -0500

Monica Duffy Toft moderates panel at Religious Freedom and Extemism conference at Georgetown University: "How Repression Breeds Religious Extremism - and How Religious Freedom Does the Opposite"

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/FreedomandR&showFullAbstract=1

Afghanistan Atrocity Prompts Rethink of US Policy

Aisha Ahmad — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 12:26:12 -0500

"The great folly of this long-term plan is that propping up such a corrupt regime will necessarily generate insurgency. No Afghan will stay at home while local strongmen engage in rape, murder and extortion. Therefore, the international community's plan is to support a weak central government that is corrupt enough to incite rebellion against it, but strong enough to at least partially suppress that rebellion. In other words, the international community is on course to maintain a low-intensity civil war in Afghanistan, ad infinitum."

Call for Applications: Religious Violence Summer Program at Columbia University

Monica Duffy Toft — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 09:40:31 -0600

March 7, 2012

The Hertog Global Strategy Initiative seeks talented undergraduate and graduate students for its 2012 seminar on the History and Future of Religious Violence and Apocalyptic Movements.

Winning the War on War?

Dominic Contreras — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:51:01 -0600

“The departure of the last American troops from Iraq brings relief to a nation that has endured its most painful war since Vietnam...And it could very well be the last one,” wrote Steven Pinker and Joshua Goldstein in the New York Times last December. On Monday January 30th, the Belfer Center's Stephen Walt and Monica Duffy Toft joined Goldstein and Pinker at the JFK Jr. Forum and asked: "Is War on the Way Out?"

Belfer Center Welcomes New Research Fellows

Sharon Wilke — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:06:22 -0500

Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs this week announced its 2011-12 research fellows. The Belfer Center is the hub of research, teaching, and training in international security affairs and diplomacy, environmental and resource issues, science and technology policy, and conflict studies at Harvard Kennedy School; the heart of the Center is its resident research community. The 32 new fellows join 30 continuing fellows drawn from governments, academia, and the public and private sector.

The 'Glocalized' Roots of Religious Politics: Extremism from Below, Not Abroad

Monica Duffy Toft — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 08:51:21 -0500

"What the Arab uprisings revealed is that today's people, in the Arab world assuredly but not only there, desire less a unified ideology around a single leader or leadership that touts triumphalism over some form of evil and more a system of governance that promotes accountability, transparency and protects every individual's needs and interests."

The Dangers of Secularism in the Middle East

Daniel Philpott, Timothy Samuel Shah and Monica Duffy Toft — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:12:57 -0500

"...[W]e find that religious groups are most likely to be peaceful and supportive of democracy when they live under regimes that respect their autonomy. Islamic countries as diverse as Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mali, Senegal, and Turkey demonstrate that when Islamic parties participate in politics they not only operate by the rules of the democratic game but also, in time, become more moderate."

God and Terror

Timothy Samuel Shah, Daniel Philpott and Monica Duffy Toft — Fri, 20 May 2011 08:34:59 -0500

"...[R]eligion has made a political comeback, abetted by globalization, democratization, and technological development. Those religious actors who are most closely integrated with state authority and who hold a political theology that calls for state sponsorship, the subordination of minorities, and the use of violence are most likely to be violent. Those who have remained independent of state authority and carry a political theology that prescribes democracy, peace, and reconciliation are most likely to be peaceful and democratic."

God and Democratic Diplomacy

Timothy Samuel Shah, Daniel Philpott and Monica Duffy Toft — Wed, 18 May 2011 08:04:35 -0500

"Democracy, with its open debate and its popular control, was supposed to have exposed religion as a crutch for primitive people. Surprisingly, though, religion has profited precisely from the open debate and room to operate that democracy affords. The best squelchers of religion are, in fact, secular dictators."

God and Political Science

Timothy Samuel Shah, Daniel Philpott and Monica Duffy Toft — Mon, 16 May 2011 09:41:31 -0500

"...[T]he success of these political enemies of God helped to make it seem that secularization was the wave of the future. They made it seem that religion was a dying supernova, enjoying its penultimate glow before disappearing from history. They made it easily forgivable to think of the 20^th century as the 'Godless Century,' at least as far as politics was concerned, making it increasingly common to ask whether God was dead, as Time magazine famously did on its cover in April 1966. They made it possible to view religion as absolutely defenseless in the face of modernity."

Belfer Center Newsletter Summer 2011

Sharon Wilke — Mon, 16 May 2011 09:22:42 -0500

The Summer 2011 issue of the Belfer Center newsletter features analysis and advice by Belfer Center scholars regarding the historic upheavals in the Middle East and the disastrous consequences of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The Center’s new Geopolitics of Energy project is also highlighted, along with efforts by the Project on Managing the Atom to strengthen nuclear export rules.

God's Partisans Are Back

Monica Duffy Toft, Daniel Philpott and Timothy Samuel Shah — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 10:59:16 -0500

"But if American foreign-policy makers want to promote democracy and stability, they must come to realize that secularism is a poor analytical tool. The great surprise of the past generation has been the resurgence of religion's influence. Despite a powerful array of secularizing regimes, ideologies, and social trends, religion has not only outlasted its most ferocious 20th-century rivals, but in many cases, it also appears poised to supplant them. The Brotherhood is a perfect example: An organization that survived decades of harsh repression is now in a position to wield considerable influence in Egypt."

Does the U.S. Have a Responsibility to Protect the Libyan People?

Monica Duffy Toft — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 15:09:46 -0500

"...[T]he question that should have stopped the intervention in the first place: Are there reasonable prospects for success? Or might the use of force produce more harm than good?"

God's Century: Resurgent Religion and Global Politics

Monica Duffy Toft, Daniel Philpott and Timothy Samuel Shah — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 19:41:01 -0500

Is religion a force for good or evil in world politics? How much influence does it have? Despite predictions of its decline, religion has resurged in political influence across the globe, helped by the very forces that were supposed to bury it: democracy, globalization, and technology. And despite recent claims that religion is exclusively irrational and violent, its political influence is in fact diverse, sometimes promoting civil war and terrorism but at other times fostering democracy, reconciliation, and peace. Looking across the globe, the authors explain what generates these radically divergent behaviors.

Belfer Center Newsletter Spring 2011

Sharon Wilke — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 19:24:18 -0600

The Spring 2011 issue of the Belfer Center newsletter features recent and upcoming activities, research, and analysis by members of the Center community on critical global issues. This issue highlights the Belfer Center’s continuing efforts to build bridges between the United States and Russia to prevent nuclear catastrophe – an effort that began in the 1950s. This issue also features three new books by Center faculty that sharpen global debate on critical issues: God’s Century, by Monica Duffy Toft, The New Harvest by Calestous Juma, and The Future of Power, by Joseph S. Nye.

New Center Books Sharpen Global Debate on Critical Issues

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 07:22:27 -0600

Three new publications by Belfer Center scholars have emerged on the global stage this spring, contributing significantly to dialogue on critical global issues. The books include: Monica Duffy Toft's God's Century; Calestous Juma's The New Harvest; and Joseph S. Nye's The Future of Power.

Fellows at Work and on the Move

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 07:08:16 -0600

The Belfer Center's current and former research fellows make significant contributions throughout the world.

Hot Off the Presses

Susan M. Lynch — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 07:04:11 -0600

"Hot Off the Presses" features recent publications by Belfer Center faculty, fellows, and affiliates, as well as books published by the Center's International Security book series.

The Foreign Fighter Phenomenon: Islam and Transnational Militancy

Thomas Hegghammer — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 19:44:52 -0600

"...[F]oreign fighter mobilizations empower transnational terrorist groups such as al-Qaida, because war volunteering is the principal stepping-stone for individual involvement in more extreme forms of militancy. For example, when Muslims in the West radicalize, they usually do not plot attacks in their home countries right away, but travel to a war zone such as Iraq or Afghanistan first. A majority of al-Qaida operatives began their militant careers as war volunteers, and most transnational jihadi groups today are by-products of foreign fighter mobilizations."

The Jihadis' Path to Self-Destruction

Nelly Lahoud — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 18:40:00 -0600

Jihadi ideologues mobilize Muslims, especially young Muslims, through an individualist, centered Islam. Appealing to a classical defense doctrine, they argue that the mandates of jihad are the individual duty of every Muslim and therefore transcend and undermine both the authority of the state and the power of parental control.

Working Toward a Russia For All

Simon Saradzhyan and Monica Duffy Toft — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 09:50:53 -0600

December 22, 2010

The show of force by ultranationalists across Russia should serve as a wake-up call for the authorities, write Simon Saradzhyan, a Belfer Center research fellow, and Monica Duffy Toft, associate professor of public policy. "While [the authorities] took some steps over the past few years to dismantle violent ultranationalist groups, more needs to be done — and soon," they argue.

Is Africa Losing its Taste for Democracy?

John F. McCauley — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 15:26:10 -0600

"The wave of democracy that swept across sub-Saharan Africa in the 1990s rested largely on promises of favorable loan conditions and peace-driven prosperity, but the dividends to leaders themselves proved to be only temporary. What is more, the process of democratization in Africa often included reforms of the political party system and elections, yet institutions to constrain the power of political leaders in an environment accustomed to "Big Man" rule never fully materialized. Thus, with notable exception in places like Ghana, the incentive to remain in office at all costs once again appears greater to many African leaders than do the incentives to relinquish power peacefully. At worst, those leaders calculate, international observers will justifiably accept a power-sharing arrangement to avert potential violence."

The Rise of Muslim Foreign Fighters: Islam and the Globalization of Jihad

Thomas Hegghammer — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 15:14:47 -0600

Why has transnational war volunteering increased so dramatically in the Muslim world since 1980? Standard explanations, which emphasize U.S.-Saudi support for the 1980s Afghan mujahideen, the growth of Islamism, or the spread of Wahhabism are insufficient. The increase in transnational war volunteering is better explained as the product of a pan-Islamic identity movement that grew strong in the 1970s Arab world from elite competition among exiled Islamists in international Islamic organizations and Muslim regimes.

Understanding Rationality in Religious Violence

Monica Duffy Toft — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 22:37:24 -0500

"[R]eligion is not necessarily the sole driving force of much of the large-scale violence we see today. Nationalism remains a powerful peer competitor. Since 1940 only about one-third of all civil wars had a religious basis, and of these only about half featured religion as a central issue. However, if you look at the nature of ongoing civil wars, half of them now have religion as an element. More often than not religion is married to nationalism. Religion alone is rarely the sole culprit."

Belfer Center Newsletter Summer 2010

Sharon Wilke — Tue, 18 May 2010 09:44:19 -0500

The Summer 2010 issue of the Belfer Center newsletter features recent and upcoming activities, research, and analysis by members of the Center community on critical global issues. This issue highlights the Belfer Center's involvement with the Nuclear Security Summit, which was organized by Center alumni Gary Samore and Laura Holgate.

Fellows at Work and Moving On

Sharon Wilke — Tue, 18 May 2010 09:31:01 -0500

The Belfer Center congratulates its research fellows who will share their knowledge and talents with other institutions next fall. They have enriched the Belfer Center and Harvard Kennedy School community as fellows with the Center's various programs and projects.

Spotlight with Monica Toft

Sasha Talcott — Tue, 18 May 2010 09:27:57 -0500

Monica Duffy Toft is an associate professor of public policy at Harvard Kennedy School and a member of the Belfer Center Board of Directors. She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of Chicago and a B.A. in Political Science and Slavic Languages and Literatures from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Toft is director of the Belfer Center's Initiative on Religion in International Affairs, which was established with a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation.