| ID | 156239 |
| Title Proper | Religiosity and bellicosity |
| Other Title Information | the impact of religious commitment on patterns of interstate conflict |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Alexander, Kathryn J |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Are states with religiously committed citizens more likely to initiate conflict than states with less committed populations? This article builds upon findings within the literature on American politics that link individuals’ levels of religious commitment to their attitudes about foreign policy, and it tests whether the implications of these findings have cross-national applicability and explanatory power for interstate conflict. Using a novel, robust measure of the proportion of a state's population that is religiously committed, as well as monadic and dyadic statistical models, the analysis finds widespread connections between religious commitment and bellicose state behaviors. The results show that states with more religiously committed populations demonstrate higher propensities for initiating conflict with other states. This relationship is most severe when both states in a dyad have high levels of religious commitment, while it does not appear to be conditioned by whether majorities within the populations of each state ascribe to different religious traditions. This project advances knowledge about both the role of religion in international relations and conditions for interstate conflict, emphasizing the relevance of domestic cultural factors to global politics. |
| `In' analytical Note | Journal of Global security Studies Vol. 2, No.4; Oct 2017: p.271–287 |
| Journal Source | Journal of Global security Studies Vol: 2 No 4 |
| Key Words | Religion and politics ; Interstate Conflict ; Statistical Analysis |