Since the Peace of Westphalia (1648), religion has been largely excluded from international political discourse. However, following the terrorist events of September 11, 2001, religion has reemerged as a crucial subject of study in international relations. In this modern time, while most contemporary nation-states are secular, countries such as India, Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United States remain influenced by religious concerns in their foreign policy. This broadly reflects the connection between material concerns and the ideational realm (including norms and values), or more specifically, the role of religion in shaping national interests.
Theoretically, international relations scholars have begun to examine the role of religion in explaining various issues, particularly national interest in international relations. Constructivism, born in the 1980s, with some prominent representatives such as Nicholas Onuf and Alexander Wendt, has provided a new framework for approaching national interests. Constructivism posits that crucial elements of international relations are socially constructed. When it comes to national interests, constructivists believe that a state’s interests are not predetermined, as deposited by mainstream theories, but are shaped by shared ideas and its own national identities.
