Defender of the faiths: how the Russian government uses religious diplomacy
Over the last decade, the Russian government has depicted itself as a counterrevolutionary force, leading a global crusade against the malign forces of Western cultural colonisation. Central to this has been the Kremlin’s self-anointment as a defender of not only traditional values, but specifically...
| Main Author: | |
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| Corporate Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Book |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
London
The Henry Jackson Society
September 2021
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| In: | Year: 2021 |
| Further subjects: | B
Public diplomacy
B Self-image B Religion B Religious policy |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | Over the last decade, the Russian government has depicted itself as a counterrevolutionary force, leading a global crusade against the malign forces of Western cultural colonisation. Central to this has been the Kremlin’s self-anointment as a defender of not only traditional values, but specifically religious ones, protecting the feelings of those of faith from insult and offence. To promote this narrative abroad, the Russian government has used religious diplomacy (i.e., the use of religion in foreign policy), 1 a form of public diplomacy. 2 This report interrogates which narratives the Russian government uses in service of religious diplomacy, and how. It does so by employing discourse and keyword analysis to elucidate how Russian state actors, in speech and written doctrines, promote a vision of Russian religious values as domestically unifying and globally stabilising. The report then examines how Russian state actors operationalise these conceptualisations internationally, within bilateral and multilateral fora. In so doing, it shows how the Kremlin uses each of Russia’s four official religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism) in different ways and to different ends to bolster its influence among target audiences abroad. To illustrate the narratives and tactics deployed, examples are cited from an original database comprising almost 1,000 examples of Russian religious diplomacy, compiled through keyword analysis of the online archives of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The report also draws attention to the false foundations on which Russia’s religious diplomacy is based, namely by documenting the divergence between the Kremlin’s self-proclaimed religious tolerance and the repressive reality for many believers living in Russia today. Public diplomacy is a legitimate avenue for any government to advance its country’s interests; however, the poor state of relations between Russia and the UK, as well as Russia’s deliberate positioning of itself in opposition to (what it conveys as) core Western values, means that Western nations must be aware of Russian tactics and respond accordingly. The report concludes by suggesting several appropriate policy responses that can counter Russian religious diplomacy narratives and advance arguments in support of values that are conducive to open and inclusive societies. |
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| Item Description: | Gesehen am 05.10.2021 |
| Physical Description: | 1 Online-Ressource (38 Seiten), Illustrationen |
| ISBN: | 978-1-909035-69-0 |
