Edited Collection – Nations under God: The Geopolitics of Faith in the 21st Century
Over 30 leading scholars focus on the complex roles that religions play in world affairs and move beyond the simplistic narratives and polemics which swamp the discourse.
Doctrinal War
New approaches to diplomacy and conflict resolution are warranted in order to break security dilemmas that are simultaneously upheld by fear and the assertion of hardened doctrines.
What do Faith-based Organisations Seek at the United Nations?
The UN is increasing interactions with faith-based organizations (FBO) due to an awareness that the ‘values’ FBOs bring to global governance need to be factored in to its deliberations.
The Illusion of Politics
We have an intuitive understanding about what politics is, but since most domains of life can be described as political, politics is so universal that a definition is difficult to pin down.
From Secularism to Reciprocity: Banning the Veil in France and Beyond
The concept of democratic reciprocity offers a way to understand France’s ban on full-face coverings and can explain why France’s approach has proved attractive to other countries.
Review – Democracy, Islam, And Secularism in Turkey
Democracy, Islam, and Secularism in Turkey illuminates some of the most compelling and significant questions driving the central debates in contemporary Turkey.
Review – Syria at Bay
Carsten Wieland offers a nuanced insight into the complex make-up of Syrian society before it descended into chaos. Such insights will be of enormous value in a post Assad era.
Turkey’s New Constitution & Secular Democracy: A Case for Liberty
Turkey needs a pluralist and democratic-secular constitution with strong divisions of power and checks and balances. It should have specific & strong protections to secure accountability, an independent and neutral judiciary and freedom of belief and expression for all.
Turkey Today: A “Leviathan” or a “Law-seeker”?
The profound social and political changes Turkey has undergone have made it a law seeking nation. Ankara is now on the path to becoming a full fledged democracy under the rule of law.
Secularism and Respect for Religion
Religion-politics separationist view, which is clearly normative rather than scientific, can take quite different forms, either as an idea or as practice and can be more or less restrictive, I shall call ‘secularism’. While acknowledging the variety of forms it can take I want to argue that one of the most important distinctions we need to make is between moderate and radical secularism.
