‘God gap’ impedes US foreign policy

American foreign policy is handicapped by a narrow, ill-informed and “uncompromising Western secularism” that feeds religious extremism, threatens traditional cultures and fails to encourage religious groups that promote peace and human rights, according to a two-year study by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

American foreign policy is handicapped by a narrow, ill-informed and “uncompromising Western secularism” that feeds religious extremism, threatens traditional cultures and fails to encourage religious groups that promote peace and human rights, according to a two-year study by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

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The council’s 32-member, which included former government officials and scholars representing all major faiths, delivered its report to the White House on Tuesday.

The report warns of a serious “capabilities gap” and recommends that President Barack Obama make religion an integral part of our foreign policy.

The Chicago Council isn’t as influential as the Council on Foreign Relations or some other Washington-based think tanks, but it does have a long-standing relationship with the president. American foreign policy’s “God gap” has been noted in recent years by others, including former secretary of state Madeleine Albright.

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