Lee Marsden - Religion and International Security

To Gill

Lee Marsden

polity

Copyright Lee Marsden 2019

The right of Lee Marsden to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

First published in 2019 by Polity Press

Polity Press

65 Bridge Street

Cambridge CB2 1UR, UK

Polity Press

101 Station Landing

Suite 300

Medford, MA 02155, USA

All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

ISBN-13: 978-0-7456-6362-3 (hardback)

ISBN-13: 978-0-7456-6363-0 (paperback)

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Marsden, Lee, author.

Title: Religion and international security / Lee Marsden.

Description: Medford, MA : Polity, 2018. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018019589 (print) | LCCN 2018041500 (ebook) | ISBN 9781509534319 (Epub) | ISBN 9780745663623 (hardback) | ISBN 9780745663630 (pbk.)

Subjects: LCSH: Security, InternationalReligious aspects. | Religion and international relations. | ViolenceReligious aspects.

Classification: LCC BL65.S375 (ebook) | LCC BL65.S375 M37 2018 (print) | DDC 201/.727dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018019589

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Printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon

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This book is the product of many years research and contemplation about the increasing relevance of religion in politics and international security in the world today. As with all such endeavours there are many people to thank for helping me to formulate the ideas and thoughts and get them on the written page and for creating the time and space to complete the project. Firstly, I would like to thank Joseph Beakhouse for his research assistance, without which the book would be much weaker. I am indebted to students at the University of East Anglia who have taken my courses on Religion and International Relations and the Clash of Fundamentalisms over the years. The conversations and debates have proved stimulating and they will recognize many of the ideas and thoughts contained in the following pages. I appreciate colleagues and the university for affording me the time to be able to complete the book. My thanks go especially to Alan Finlayson, who made the ultimate sacrifice and took on my role as Head of the School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies to allow me a sabbatical.

There are colleagues whose work and example as brilliant academics and good citizens never fails to inspire. My academic life would be far poorer without them, so my thanks and respect go to Jeff Haynes, Stuart Croft, Inderjeet Parmar, Bela Arora, Heather Savigny, John Charmley, and Lee Jarvis.

I am grateful to my wonderful wife Gill for her love and patience. Finally, I would like to thank my editors at Polity, Louise Knight and Nekane Tanaka Galdos, for their encouragement and support throughout the project and also the three anonymous reviewers whose comments and suggestions greatly improved the final publication.

1. International relations theory and religion
2. Mimetic rivalry, sacred violence and the scapegoat mechanism
3. 18 lessons in religious peacemaking
4. US faith-based initiatives and international security
5. Key declarations on religion and human security
6. 25 countries with apostasy and blasphemy laws
7. Religious texts on the golden rule

1. Triangulation of mimetic desire

A scorpion and a frog meet on the river bank and the scorpion asks the frog to carry him on his back over to the other side. The frog asks, How do I know you won't sting me? The scorpion replies, Because if I do, I will die too. The frog is satisfied and they set out across the river. In midstream the scorpion stings the frog. The frog feels the onset of paralysis and starts to sink, knowing they will both drown; he just has enough time to gasp Why?