Communities

Religion Leaders

Overview

CFR’s Religion and Foreign Policy (RFP) program serves as a resource for faith leaders and policymakers, and offers a forum for congregational leaders, seminary heads, scholars of religion, and representatives of faith-based organizations to discuss global issues in an interfaith environment. CFR produces a vast array of resources that provide nonpartisan and authoritative analysis to inform the work of religious thinkers and educators and foster dialogue in their communities. For more RFP resources, follow @CFR_Religion on X. To sign up to receive the monthly Religion and Foreign Policy Bulletin, please sign up here.

Religion and Foreign Policy Webinars

Led by a CFR expert or faith leader, the Religion and Foreign Policy Webinar series offers members of the religion community access to interreligious conversations on timely issues at the intersection of religion and international affairs. Video recordings and transcripts of the webinars are available after the fact at CFR.org/rfp-calls, and audio recordings can be accessed on the Apple Podcasts channel Religion and Foreign Policy.

Recent Webinars

Religion

Elliott Abrams, CFR senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies, and Elliot Cosgrove, rabbi of Park Avenue Synagogue, discuss the evolving role of the Jewish diaspora in shaping U.S. policy towards the Middle East, the challenges of fostering unity within the Jewish community, and the broader implications for international relations. Asher Lopatin, rabbi of Kehillat Etz Chayim,  moderates the discussion.

Democracy

Adelle M. Banks, projects editor and national reporter for Religion News Service, and Adam Nicholas Phillips, chief strategy officer and chief of staff at Interfaith America, discuss the evolving role of religious constituencies in U.S. politics, as well as the intersection of religion with key political and social issues in the lead up to the 2024 election.  

Religion

Salam al-Marayati, president and cofounder of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, and Nazita Lajevardi, associate professor of political science at Michigan State University, discuss the domestic and international policies that affect and matter to American Muslim communities, as well as the diversity, trends, and priorities of the bloc.

Religion and Foreign Policy Events

Organized in New York, Washington, DC, and around the country, the Religion and Foreign Policy Roundtable series provides an intimate setting for in-depth conversations.

Recent Events

Human Rights

Shadi Mokhtari, assistant professor at the School of International Service at American University, and Ebenezer Obadare, the Douglas Dillon senior fellow for Africa studies at CFR, discuss how differ…

Nigeria

Samuel Brownback, ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, discusses extremism and the decline of religious freedom in Northern Nigeria. John Campbell, Ralph Bunche senior fellow for Africa policy studies at CFR, moderates.

Religion

Rebecca Linder Blachly, Shaun Casey, and Suhail A. Khan discuss how to best provide policymakers with contextual information as they debate and vote on issues pertaining to religion, with Brie Loskota moderating. 

Religion and Foreign Policy Workshop

CFR’s annual Religion and Foreign Policy Workshop brings together leaders from across the U.S. religious landscape at CFR’s New York headquarters for two days of expert panels and discussion group sessions. The 2022 workshop was held in a hybrid format in May, with people attending both in person and virtually. The 2021 workshop was held virtually in May 2021, and the 2019 workshop was held at CFR’s New York headquarters in June 2019.

Religion and Foreign Policy Workshop

Religion

Religion

The 2022 Religion and Foreign Policy Workshop is part of the CFR Religion and Foreign Policy program. The goal of the workshop is to advance understanding of the forces shaping international relation…

Religion

SINGH:  Hi, everyone. I'm Simran Jeet Singh, senior advisor for diversity and inclusion at YSC Consulting and a visiting professor at Union Theological Seminary. I'm delighted to be moderating today'…

Religion

KIM:  Thank you. Greetings, I'm Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, an organization that connects forty denominations and scores of Christian institutions and ministry…

Religion

JENKINS: Hello. Welcome, again, to the second day of the Council on Foreign Relations Religion and Foreign Policy Workshop. I am Jack Jenkins, national reporter with Religion News Service here in …

Religion

FASKIANOS: Thank you and welcome everybody. I'm Irina Faskianos, vice president of the National Program and Outreach at the Council on Foreign Relations. As a reminder, today's session is on the reco…

Religion

TIPPETT: Well, it is my pleasure to convene this gathering with a few announcements. First of all, welcome, everyone, to this opening session of the CFR Religion and Foreign Policy Workshop. I am Kri…

Professional Conference Participation

Upcoming Conferences

CFR hosts exhibition booths and distributes resources at professional conferences and association meetings across the country. Look for us at the Religion News Association Annual Conference and at the American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting, where we also hold a luncheon panel discussion.

Religion Advisory Committee

The CFR Religion Advisory Committee is comprised of a distinguished group of religion and congregational leaders and scholars from across the United States.

Contact

For more information about CFR’s Religion and Foreign Policy program, please email [email protected] or call 212.434.9497. Follow us on X at @CFR_Religion