What is the overview of state-religion relations in the world?

Auteur: Arnaud Blé-DEBUC

Executive summary: The link between political and religious power has structured societies, legitimizing authority by the sacred (Egypt, Rome, China). Despite the predictions of religious decline in the 20th and 20th centuries, we are witnessing its recomposition as a vector of legitimacy, mobilization and identity. The models of state-religion relations vary: theocracies (Iran, Vatican, Afghanistan), state religions (United Kingdom, Greece), strict separation (United States, Japan), or institutionalized pluralism (Belgium, Lebanon, India). Some states like North Korea suppress religious, while others use soft power (Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Morocco). The religious remains a strong identity marker, used for national construction (Poland, Russia, Israel) or as a tool of resistance (Africa, Asia). Jihadism illustrates its violent dimension (Islamic State, Al-Qaeda). Today, a trans-confessional conservative convergence is emerging against Western progressism (LGBT rights, gender theory, etc.), uniting traditional Catholics, Muslims, Orthodox and Hindus. This alliance is manifested in UN votes, in African legislation and in electoral recompositions (United States, India). Liberal democracies, faced with these dynamics, fluctuate between secular hardening (France) and accommodation (Canada, United Kingdom), without resolving the tension between pluralism and common standards. The religious, far from disappearing, remains a central player in today’s geopolitical world.

Keywords: Religious Geopolitics, Legality, Secularization, National Identity, Soft power, Theocracy, State Religion, Separation, Laity, Pluralism, Radicalization, Jihadism, Western Progress, Religious Conservatism, Liberal Democracies, Common Standards, Confessional Diplomacy.

Abstract: The link between political and religious power has structured societies, legitimizing authority through the sacred (Egypt, Rome, China). Despite predictions of religious decline in the 20th and 21st centuries, we are witnessing its recomposition as a vector of legitimacy, mobilization, and identity. Models of state-religion relations vary: theocracies (Iran, Vatican, Afghanistan), state religions (United Kingdom, Greece), strict separation (United States, Japan), or institutionalized pluralism (Belgium, Lebanon, India). Some states, such as North Korea, repress religion, while others instrumentalize it as soft power (Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Morocco). Religion remains a strong marker of identity, used for nation-building (Poland, Russia, Israel) or as a tool of resistance (Africa, Asia). Jihadism illustrates its violent dimension (Islamic State, Al-Qaeda). Today, a trans-denominational conservative convergence is emerging against Western progressivism (LGBT rights, gender theory, etc.), uniting traditionalist Catholics, Muslims, Orthodox Christians, and Hindus. This alliance is evident in votes at the United Nations, in African legislation, and in electoral recompositions (United States, India). Liberal democracies, faced with these dynamics, oscillate between secular hardening (France) and accommodations (Canada, United Kingdom), without resolving the tension between pluralism and common norms. Religion, far from disappearing, remains a central player in contemporary geopolitics.

Keywords: Religious geopolitics, Legitimacy, Secularization, National identity, Soft power, Theocracy, State religion, Separation, Secularism, Pluralism, Radicalization, Jihadism, Western progressivism, Religious conservatism, Liberal democracies, Common standards, Confessional diplomacy.