Conflicts involving religion have returned to the forefront of international relations. And yet political scientists and policymakers have continued to assume that religion has long been privatized in the West. This secularist assumption ignores the contestation surrounding the category of the "secular" in international politics. The Politics of Secularism in International Relations shows why this thinking is flawed; and provides a powerful alternative. Elizabeth Shakman Hurd argues that secularist divisions between religion and politics are not fixed; as commonly assumed; but socially and historically constructed. Examining the philosophical and historical legacy of the secularist traditions that shape European and American approaches to global politics; she shows why this matters for contemporary international relations; and in particular for two critical relationships: the United States and Iran; and the European Union and Turkey. The Politics of Secularism in International Relations develops a new approach to religion and international relations that challenges realist; liberal; and constructivist assumptions that religion has been excluded from politics in the West. The first book to consider secularism as a form of political authority in its own right; it describes two forms of secularism and their far-reaching global consequences.
#737083 in Books Princeton University Press 2004-01-25Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.36 x .72 x 6.20l; .95 #File Name: 0691118477304 pages
Review
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Must ReadBy RJLAnyone who has more than 3 books about the Korean War should have this one.9 of 9 people found the following review helpful. Strategic analysisBy AlThis was an extremely insightful look at the strategic and diplomatic calculus that led to the US involvement in Korea. The US sent the Soviets and Chicoms signals that they were not including Korea in the Pacific defensive perimeter. This included a withdrawal of US troops from the peninsula in 1949; as well as a speech made by Dean Acheson on US security concerns in the Pacific rim; in which he failed to even mention Korea or Taiwan. Kim Il Sung received the green light for an invasion from Stalin; and the Chicoms were reluctant allies. The author packs a tremendous amount of detail and analysis in this work; which is divided into three parts. Stueck ties the origins of the Cold War with events in Korea and examines why we see this as the Korean War; and not the Korean Civil War; through the lens of the Truman Doctrine and Syngman Rhee's relationship with Congress and the president. In the second part; Stueck examines the reasons for Chinese intervention; which seem obvious in hindsight. US success after Inchon changed the military and political goals; leading UN forces to reach beyond the culminating point of attack. He also does a good job in analyzing how and; more importantly; why the US worked so hard to keep this a limited war; in the context of increasing military committments to Europe. Stueck describes how the Chinese; after pushing the UN south of the 38th parallel; went beyond the culminating point of victory; and how this led to the armistice talks. Finally; Stueck describes the relationship between Korea and the US from 1945 to the present. This work stays at the 20;000 ft level and does not descend into operational narrative. It clearly lays out the diplomatic and strategic considerations of both sides; and provides a clear view of the birth of the Cold War and future nuclear policy.1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. I would like to read the bookBy Degaulle AdiliHi; I would like to read the book. however; could you explain to me why the Kindle version is so expensive? it is more than the paperback one? I find that incomprehensible to say the least.
