Religion, Conflict, and Geopolitics in 2017

Centre on Religion & Geopolitics
By: Ali Soufan & Ed Husain

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As a new presidential administration takes the reins in Washington, and as the UK begins exiting the EU, 2017 promises to bring dramatic and unpredictable change.

In the Middle East, after decades of brutal conflict, poor governance, increasing sectarianism, and economic malaise, Muslim-majority states remain caught between conflicting interpretations of their Islamic foundations. Across the region, sectarian  theological differences are compounded by powers with ambitions of regional domination and their weaponisation of religion in pursuit of political aims, a trend that shows no sign of slowing in 2017. In the West, economic instability, mass migration, political dysfunction, and foreign security crises have enabled the rise of populist movements, testing the commitment of Western countries to pluralist values. In the context of these intra-civilisational identity crises, the liberal international order faces increasing strain. These pressures are exacerbated by long-running conflicts and expanding power vacuums, Russia’s resurgence on the world stage, Europe’s struggle to define relations with its neighbors, and a US presidential administration set to dramatically revise American foreign policy.

With these challenges in mind, this paper discusses the outlook for religion, conflict, and geopolitics for the year ahead. While not an exhaustive list, these issues represent the some of the most significant challenges to international stability in 2017 …

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