Chasing the Devil at Foggy Bottom

Understanding the role of religion in global politics is crucial for effective diplomacy. American policy makers have historically been squeamish about religion's role in diplomacy. Nevertheless, religion plays a crucial and complex set of roles in global affairs, such as in sustainable development, various human rights issues, and fomenting and mitigating conflict. Shaun A. Casey, the founding director of the US Department of State's Office of Religion and Global Affairs, makes a compelling case for the necessity of understanding global religion in Chasing the Devil at Foggy Bottom. In his new book, Casey writes frankly about his work integrating sophisticated, research-driven policy into the State Department under Secretary of State John Kerry. Their new strategy went beyond older paradigms that focused myopically on religious freedom or countering violent extremism. Such reductive approaches, Casey insists, cost thousands of lives and trillions of dollars in the US's ill-fated invasion of Iraq in 2003. With witty and astute narration, Casey recounts his team's challenges in DC politics as well as in the major global events of his tenure--including climate change, the rise of ISIL, and the refugee crisis.