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153 Results
A Bible and the Christian cross on top of an American Flag.
Religious Tolerance and the U.S. Foreign Policy Bureaucracy
David Buckley offers brief reflections on distinct approaches to religion in U.S. diplomacy, particularly at the State Department, and the implications they may have for religious tolerance abroad. His post is the first of 12 prepared for an April 2019 workshop on “Religion, Reverence and Tolerance” organized by the Baker Institute for Public Policy and the Boniuk Institute for Religious Tolerance at Rice University.  Baker Institute Blog: https://bit.ly/2z6CGZo
David Buckley August 19, 2019
Man in handcuffs
The State of Corruption in Latin America
By Paul Lagunes, Baker Institute for Public Policy; Xiaoxuan Yang, Columbia University; and Andrés Castro, Columbia University. Corruption is a persistent problem throughout Latin America. Higher rates of perceived corruption are associated with lower levels of economic welfare and direct foreign investment, write the authors.
Paul Lagunes, Xiaoxuan Yang, Andrés Castro July 8, 2019
United Arab Emirates map
Saudi Arabia Is Changing, but Don't Give MbS All the Credit
Although Mohammed bin Salman wields considerable power, he has not singlehandedly altered Saudi society. The social transformation taking place in the kingdom was underway before he became crown prince, but he has tried to take credit for it, writes the author. Baker Institute Blog via Lobe Log: https://bit.ly/2WLrScM
Annelle Sheline June 11, 2019
Image of Hassan Mosque
Royal Religious Authority: Morocco’s “Commander of the Faithful"
King Mohammed VI of Morocco has cultivated the country’s image as a bastion of moderate Islam and of himself as a strategic partner, but to what extent does his international reputation correspond to public opinion in Morocco? In this paper, the author evaluates the king’s domestic standing as part of a larger Baker Institute study on religious authority in the Middle East.
Annelle Sheline March 31, 2019
Map of Middle East.
The New Guardians of Religion: Islam and Authority in the Middle East
Who speaks for Islam and who holds religious authority in the Middle East? These questions strike at the heart of the relationship between religion and politics in the Muslim world, for whoever can legitimately claim religious authority has an opportunity to shape the extent to which religion is politicized in the region. Our study examines this issue by identifying the channels of influence between religious leaders who claim to hold Islamic authority and individual Muslims across the region. The findings depict a complex religious space in the Middle East that reflects its citizens’ nuanced approach toward religion and the religion-politics relationship.
A.Kadir Yildirim March 12, 2019
Image of mosque
Constructing an Islamic Nation: National Mosque Building as a Form of Nation-building
The author shows that mosque construction in Islamic states increased after 1979, when political elites adopted a strategy of Islamic nation-building. Mosques visually manifested a regime’s religious authority. The findings have implications for understanding the use of symbolic religious structures as tools for nation-building — a goal that is often overlooked due to the tendency to associate nationalism with secular visions of modernity.
Annelle Sheline January 28, 2019