Election 2008: Day-After Policies for International Religious Freedom
Elizabeth Prodromou Monday, 1 September 2008
One of the most puzzling omissions from the otherwise rich catalog of issues debated, deconstructed, and discussed during the presidential primaries and national campaigns thus far is the U.S. commitment to protect and promote religious freedom around the world. During the past year, John McCain and Barack Obama have been remarkably alike in choosing not to make a major public address on, or dedicate debate time to, America's ostensibly "unwavering commitment" to religious freedom and desire for the "most effective and principled response...[to] violations of religious freedom by a variety of persecuting regimes," as eloquently expressed in the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). The 10th anniversary of this legislation falls on the eve of the presidential election. The IRFA decade should inspire the new presidential administration to build on and make adjustments to current U.S. international religious freedom policies, with one clear goal in mind: to measurably enhance U.S. national security in a manner that also demonstrably enhances global peace.
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