ABSTRACT
This conclusion present some closing thoughts on the concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book examines two key ways that religion affects outcomes in international relations: state policy guided by religious concerns, and activities of transnational religious actors. It examines state actors that use religion significantly to influence foreign policy, including the governments of Iran and Saudi Arabia. It focuses on various transnational religious actors, including Islamist and Christian cross-border network. Cross-border religious networks were often regarded as interesting but ultimately marginal phenomena, a niche area for those interested in exotica, remote from central, important questions affecting states and state power in international politics. The book looks at the key issues for understanding the significance of religion in international relations: democratisation and democracy, human development, conflict, conflict resolution and peacebuilding. It explores a variety of transnational religious phenomena including, the Roman Catholic Church, various Protestant evangelical entities, as well as Islamist transnational entities, both militant and moderate.
