Engaging Religious Communities Abroad: A New Imperative for U.S. Foreign Policy
Report of the Task Force on Religion and the Making of U.S. Foreign Policy
R. Scott Appleby and Richard Cizik, Cochairs
Thomas Wright, Project Director
Chicago Council of Global Affairs
Co-chair Scott Appleby introduces the report at The Immanent Frame:
In the hopes of accelerating the process of rethinking America’s attitude toward the Muslim word, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs has issued a Task Force Report (TFR), entitled ‘Engaging Religious Communities Abroad: A New Imperative for U.S. Foreign Policy’ . . .
The TFR outlines the major elements of a comprehensive policy of constructive engagement with religions and religious actors abroad, indicating whom to engage, how to help them succeed, what vocabulary to use, and what the limits of such engagement are. The goal is to build partnerships and networks designed to advance shared interests and objectives, which may include the effective deployment of foreign assistance, the development of stable democracies, and the promotion of human rights . . .
President Obama’s third ‘new idea’ regarding religious engagement—one that should be welcomed by both parties—is to allow nongovernmental agencies and private institutions to carry much of the responsibility. The TFR spells out a series of network- and partnership-building initiatives to be undertaken abroad by American universities, businesses, and private relief and development organizations . . .
The TFR also calls for specific actions by President Obama in the short term. Perhaps most importantly, because other elements of a new policy depend on it, the president should clarify that the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution does not bar the United States from engaging religious communities abroad in the conduct of foreign policy. He should underscore that clarification by requiring a focused and definitive discussion of the constitutionally acceptable means for pursuing this engagement. This is a key part of the equation because the conduct of U.S. foreign policy is currently complicated by questions surrounding the relevance and applicability of the Establishment Clause. Often, government officials have been wary of engaging foreign religions, or have done so tentatively and clandestinely, owing to the (misplaced) anxiety that such engagement is generally forbidden. This is not so, and this fact needs to be clarified, highlighted, and publicized broadly.
