Social Issues

Religion

  • Israel
    Why Israel Wants to Draft the Ultra-Orthodox Into the Military
    As Israel fights its war in the Gaza Strip, changes to a decades-old draft exemption for its fastest-growing demographic group threaten to fracture Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition and exacerbate the country’s internal rifts.
    In Brief by Simone Lipkind July 31, 2024
  • Nigeria
    Who Needs an Emir?
    The ongoing Emirship tussle in Nigeria begs broader questions about the place of traditional rulership in Africa’s emerging democracies.
    Blog Post by Ebenezer Obadare June 24, 2024 Africa in Transition
  • Religion
    Religion and Foreign Policy Webinar: USCIRF's 2024 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom
    Play
    Stephen Schneck and Eric Ueland, commissioners of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), will join Elizabeth Cassidy, senior strategic advisor of USCIRF, to present the key policy recommendations of the USCIRF 2024 annual report and the foreign policy implications of international religious freedom today.  USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government agency created by the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act that monitors the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad; makes policy recommendations to the president, secretary of state, and Congress; and tracks the implementation of these recommendations. USCIRF’s nine Commissioners are appointed by either the president or congressional leaders of each political party, and are supported by a non-partisan professional staff. 
    Webinar by Elizabeth K. Cassidy, Stephen Schneck, Eric Ueland and Irina A. Faskianos June 4, 2024 Religion and Foreign Policy Series

Experts in this Topic

Ebenezer Obadare
Ebenezer Obadare

Douglas Dillon Senior Fellow for Africa Studies

  • Nigeria
    A Second Coming?
    Among a cross section of Nigerian Christians, support for former US President Donald Trump remains stubbornly strong.  
    Blog Post by Ebenezer Obadare June 4, 2024 Africa in Transition
  • India
    Religion and Foreign Policy Webinar: India's 2024 General Elections
    Play
    Lisa Curtis, senior fellow and director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at Center for a New American Security, and Milan Vaishnav, senior fellow and director of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, discuss the geopolitical implications of India’s general elections and the influence of religion on politics in India. Alyssa Ayres, dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University and adjunct senior fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, moderates the discussion.
    Webinar by Lisa Curtis, Milan Vaishnav and Alyssa Ayres May 15, 2024 Religion and Foreign Policy Webinars
  • China
    Religion in China
    A significant proportion of China’s population claims to follow a religion. However, the government continues to toughen oversight, increase persecution of some religions, and attempt to co-opt state-sanctioned religious organizations.
    Backgrounder by CFR.org Editors May 15, 2024