Douglas Johnston: Faith-Based Diplomacy--Bridging the Religious Divide

Presented by the Secretary's Open Forum

[Read the transcript from Dr. Johnston's presentation]

WHEN: Friday, Dec. 8, 2006, Noon to 1 pm

WHERE: Loy Henderson Auditorium, U.S. Department of State, Harry S Truman Building, 2201 C Street NW, Washington, DC

WHAT: Douglas M. Johnston is President and Founder of the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy (ICRD). He led the 7-year study that produced the book, Religion, the Missing Dimension of Statecraft, published in 1994 by Oxford University Press and now in its 13th printing and second foreign translation. ICRD aims to address identity-based conflicts that exceed the grasp of traditional diplomacy by incorporating religion as part of the solution. He is a distinguished graduate of the US Naval Academy and holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Harvard University. He has served in senior positions in government, business, academia, and the military. He served as deputy assistant secretary of the navy (manpower); director of policy planning and management in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He also served as Executive Vice President and COO of CSIS. His latest book is Faith-Based Diplomacy: Trumping Realpolitik (2003).

Views expressed by Open Forum speakers are not necessarily those of the U.S. Department of State.