US State Department

Few have discussed Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s formative early years of public service prior to joining Biden’s staff, years when our paths crossed.

When Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the formation of a Commission on Unalienable Rights in July 2019, many activists and pundits reacted sharply and negatively. But the world needs clarity on human rights.

Religious liberty is not a luxury good that countries can dismiss and still “get by.” It’s necessary for a vibrant democratic society and national security.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its 2020 Annual Report and recommended the US government include Turkey on the State Department’s “Special Watch List” for “engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom.”

Even as we remember that Jesus rose from the dead in Jerusalem, Christians in the Middle East and elsewhere experience some of the highest levels of persecution in the world.

On July 8, 2019, the US State Department announced that it is forming a commission on unalienable human rights, presumably…

The study of international relations history, history in general, and the origins and nature of diplomacy and international law reveals the absolutely central role that Christian faith has played in the development of these concepts.

The most profound and powerful reasons for religious freedom are Christian reasons, and they extend not only to Christians but to all people. In my view this means that there is also a deep theological warrant for international religious freedom.

The United States can protect its interests and promulgate its values at the same time. If we are to be exceptional, we must live in the tension that exceptionalism brings.