Overview
Religion & Diplomacy is a portal to online resources dealing with the practical interface between religion and international affairs. The site publishes original policy reports, articles, and interviews in addition to highlighting key third-party publications relevant to diplomats and other practitioners working on religion-related issues.
The site is managed by the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University. Religion & Diplomacy and the broader work of the TPNRD Secretariat are made possible by a generous grant from the Henry Luce Foundation.
Disclaimer: The content on Religion & Diplomacy, and any opinions expressed therein, do not necessarily represent the views of the Berkley Center, Georgetown University, the Luce Foundation, or any government that has officials participating in the TPNRD.
Contact
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Editor
Judd Birdsall, Senior Research Fellow, Berkley Center
Editorial Advisors
Peter Mandaville, George Mason University
Erin Wilson, University of Groningen
Katherine Marshall, Georgetown University
Lori Beaman, University of Ottawa
Susan Hayward, Harvard Divinity School
Joseph Maila, Institut de Recherche et d’Enseignement sur la Négociation
Marie Juul Petersen, Danish Institute for Human Rights
Azza Karam, Religions for Peace
About the TPNRD
The Transatlantic Policy Network on Religion & Diplomacy (TPNRD) is a forum of diplomats from Europe and North America who are the designated point people on issues of religion and diplomacy within their respective foreign ministries. The network aims to equip participants to more effectively analyze religious dynamics and engage religious actors in the pursuit of shared policy objectives.
Co-founded in 2015 by officials from the European External Action Service and the U.S. Department of State, the TPNRD also includes officials from Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United Nations. The Order of Malta is an affiliate.
In 2018 the TPNRD established a transatlantic Advisory Council, comprised of top experts from the North Atlantic region, that provides advice to the diplomatic network and serves to deepen connections between scholars and practitioners working on religion and international affairs. Members of the TPNRD Academic Advisory Council also serve as editorial advisors to Religion & Diplomacy.
The network meets twice a year, hosted by participating foreign ministries or multilateral organizations. These workshops provide an opportunity for diplomats to discuss shared challenges and opportunities, explore possibilities for collaboration, and to engage with leading scholars, religious leaders, and NGO practitioners. The TPNRD also hosts regular virtual briefings with top experts on topics related to religion and international affairs.
A key area of work for the TPNRD project director and Advisory Council is commissioning policy reports on topics of interest to TPNRD diplomats. The network publishes up to four papers a year, and these can be found on our Library.
About the Berkley Center
The Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University seeks a more just and peaceful world by deepening knowledge and solving problems at the intersection of religion and global affairs through research, teaching, and engaging multiple publics. Two premises guide the center’s work: that a comprehensive examination of religion and norms is critical to address complex global challenges, and that the open engagement of religious and cultural traditions with one another can promote peace. To this end, the center engages students, scholars, policymakers, and practitioners in analysis of and dialogue on critical issues in order to increase the public understanding of religion.
The TPNRD met with His All Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew in Istanbul in June 2023.