Abstract
AbstractIt is a common—often stereotypical—presumption that Europe is secular and America religious. Differences in international religious freedom and religious engagement policies on both sides of the Atlantic seem to confirm this “cliché.” This article argues that to understand why it has been easier for American supporters to institutionalize these policies than for advocates in the EU, it is important to consider the discursive structures of EU and US foreign policies, which enable and constrain political language and behavior. Based on the analysis of foreign policy documents, produced by the EU and the United States in their relationship with six religiously diverse African and Asian states, the article compares how both international actors represent religion in their foreign affairs. The analysis reveals similarities in the relatively low importance that they attribute to religion and major differences in how they represent the contribution of religion to creating and solving problems in other states. In sum, the foreign policies of both international actors are based on a secular discursive structure, but that of the United States is much more accommodative toward religion, including Islam, than that of the EU.
Highlights
Religion has often been perceived as a dividing line between Europe and the United States
Based on a quantitative content and qualitative predicate analysis of foreign policy documents, produced in the relationship with six religiously diverse states in Sub-Sahara Africa (Central African Republic, Nigeria, Tanzania), East Asia (Indonesia, the Philippines), and the Middle East (Lebanon), I compare how religion is represented in European Union (EU) and US foreign policy to explore whether a transatlantic divide exists
I draw on her understanding of secularism as discursive tradition and political authority to assess whether and how the two distinct secular trajectories identified by her shape how religion is represented in EU and US foreign policy
Summary
Religion has often been perceived as a dividing line between Europe and the United States. Transatlantic comparisons to assess whether and how such a religious divide becomes apparent in European and American foreign policy are scarce and their findings inconclusive. A first glance at foreign policy approaches that directly address issues of religion seems to confirm the divide. Anne Jenichen is a lecturer in politics and international relations at Aston University in Birmingham, UK. Her research focuses on religion, gender, and human rights in European foreign policy and international politics.
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