Toward Integrating Religion into International Relations Theory

This study discusses the multiple potential influences of religion on international relations. These include religious legitimacy, religious worldviews, non-state religious actors including religious institutions, local religious issues crossing borders, transnational religious movements, religious terror, and international issues which overlap with religion such as human rights, the status of women, proselytizing, family planning and stem-cell research. We then begin the process of integrating an understanding of these issues into a major international relations theory: Classical Realism. We find that Classical Realism has room for religion in its role as an explanatory theory, but is not as accepting of religion in its policy prescription role.