TY - JOUR
T1 - Religion and state failure
T2 - An examination of the extent and magnitude of religious conflict from 1950 to 1996
AU - Fox, Jonathan
PY - 2004/1
Y1 - 2004/1
N2 - Although the role of religion in conflict has been gaining increasing attention in recent times, few cross-sectional studies have examined the extent to which internal conflict since World War II has been religious, and those that have done so are limited in either the type of conflict or time span they cover. Accordingly, this article uses the State Failure data set to assess whether the relative and absolute number of religious conflicts since World War II has increased, whether these conflicts are more intense than other conflicts, and whether any particular religions participate in conflict more often than others. The findings show that while occurring less often than other types of conflicts, religious conflicts have increased between 1950 and 1996, and are more intense than nonreligious conflicts. Also, Christian groups disproportionally participate in internal conflict, but most of those conflicts are with other Christian groups. This, along with other findings of the study, contradicts major elements of Samuel Huntington's "clash of civilizations" theory.
AB - Although the role of religion in conflict has been gaining increasing attention in recent times, few cross-sectional studies have examined the extent to which internal conflict since World War II has been religious, and those that have done so are limited in either the type of conflict or time span they cover. Accordingly, this article uses the State Failure data set to assess whether the relative and absolute number of religious conflicts since World War II has increased, whether these conflicts are more intense than other conflicts, and whether any particular religions participate in conflict more often than others. The findings show that while occurring less often than other types of conflicts, religious conflicts have increased between 1950 and 1996, and are more intense than nonreligious conflicts. Also, Christian groups disproportionally participate in internal conflict, but most of those conflicts are with other Christian groups. This, along with other findings of the study, contradicts major elements of Samuel Huntington's "clash of civilizations" theory.
KW - Clash of civilizations
KW - Conflict
KW - Religion
KW - Samuel Huntington
KW - State failure
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=3242810590&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0192512104038167
DO - 10.1177/0192512104038167
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AN - SCOPUS:3242810590
SN - 0192-5121
VL - 25
SP - 55-76+130
JO - International Political Science Review
JF - International Political Science Review
IS - 1
ER -