ABSTRACT
The academic study of religion is well positioned to contribute to a better understanding of the interplay by critically examine how religion is defined in accounts of or theorization about interaction with foreign policy. The academic study of religion recognizes a plurality of intersection of religion and culture, each differently informing the formulation and implementation of foreign policy. Today, the new global interconnectedness includes diaspora movements that strengthen transnational religions and thus add to the complexity of the connection between religion and international diplomacy. The interplay between religion and international diplomacy, with reference to providing a turning point, is symbiotic and requires a careful disentangling. Problematizing the interplay between religion and international diplomacy began gaining momentum in North American academic discourse following events of 11 September 2001, in the United State (US). The example of the interplay of religious alliance and international politics is of recent developments in the Muslim world.
