Editors forward.

• Position: Editorial

It was ten years ago that the Journal of International Affairs examined religion's role in the post-Cold War period. At the time, new theories--such as the "end of history" and a "clash of civilizations"--influenced and divided much of the thinking as scholars struggled to define this new moment in the international relations system. In that Summer 1996 issue, many of our contributors argued that the Cold War had obscured the deeper, cultural roots of numerous global conflicts and found religion to play a central role in many of them.

Why revisit the subject of religion one decade later? First, the attacks of September 11 and the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have warranted renewed scrutiny of religion's relevance in international affairs. We have also witnessed a rise in political participation from religious groups throughout the world and, consequently, the challenge to encourage toleration and cooperation between secular entities (whether it be states or political parties) and those that represent religious constituencies. The increasing geopolitical influence of religious states also demands international affairs scholars to revisit this ever-evolving subject.

According to Scott M. Thomas, a contributor to this new issue, "We live in a world that is not supposed to exist." The rise of the modern state system saw the role of rationality take center stage in political and economic organization. Accordingly, explanations referring to forces outside the earthly realm were increasingly rejected. Science was to displace the historical primacy of religion. Secularization theory--described in the early 20th century by theorists such as Max Weber--predicted the decline in the importance of religion as societies modernized. Yet, religion's importance continues unabated in our world.

Religion's emphasis on faith distinguishes it from the practicality that characterizes traditional instruments of statecraft. The indelibility of religious identity has fuelled many conflicts, which threaten the stability prescribed by the modern nation-state. Thus, with a world view firmly planted in Western rationalism, scholars of international affairs have traditionally regarded religion with suspicion, viewing it primarily through the prism of security. This perspective, however, limits our understanding of religion's complex interactions with states and non-state actors; it ignores the ubiquity of religion in shaping everyday realities for a...