Task Force Report Release

On February 23 the Chicago Council on Global Affairs released a task force report entitled Engaging Religious Communities Abroad: A New Imperative for U.S. Foreign Policy.  The report focuses on the important role that religious communities play in the counterinsurgency in Afghanistan, development assistance, the promotion of human rights, the protection of the environment, and the pursuit of peace.  It asserts that “the success of American diplomacy in the next decade will be measured in no small part by its ability to connect with the hundreds of millions of people throughout the world whose identity is defined by religion.”  For this report, the Chicago Council convened a task force of thirty-two experts and stakeholders – former government officials, religious leaders, heads of international organizations, and scholars – to bring a diverse perspective to the debate over how to successfully engage religion on an international level.  Among the task force members was Karen von Hippel, director of the Post-Conflict Reconstruction Project.