Prioritizing Faith: International Religious Freedom and Foreign U.S. Policy

In 1998, the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) formally enshrined the promotion of religious freedom throughout the world as a U.S. “foreign policy and national security priority.” Religious repression and conflict were rife in the 1990s, defying the earlier predictions of experts who believed that religion would recede as a significant factor shaping international relations in the era of globalization and neoliberalism that followed the end of the Cold War. In response, the IRFA pushed back against the prevailing paradigm that avoided intertwining religion and diplomacy. Its passage was possible because of three parallel and reinforcing developments: growing evangelical and Jewish advocacy, the increasing momentum of the international human rights movement, and the broader hunt for a post–Cold War U.S. foreign policy.

Relying on expert interviews and rich archival analysis, Prioritizing Faith analyzes the origins and first two decades of the IRFA’s implementation. First, it considers how Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama conceived of religious freedom and how they integrated their visions into their overall global agendas. Second, it examines how internal bureaucratic tensions constrained the legislation’s effectiveness. And, third, through country case studies in China, Vietnam, and Saudi Arabia, it illustrates the intricate interplay between evolving geopolitical landscapes and conflicting priorities, showing how these larger factors influenced the implementation of IRF policies. The ever-shifting policy calculus sometimes limited policy options to protect other U.S. interests and, at times, when the U.S. had significant leverage, enabled human rights reform.