ABSTRACT
The aim of this chapter is to analyse the influence of religion on international relations in the Indo-Pacific region. Analysing this requires answering three research questions: (1) how does the level of religious diversity and status of the religion in a state influence a state’s foreign policy?; (2) using India and Pakistan relations as a case study, what role does religion play in the context of political and economic cooperation between states or in solving border conflicts?; (3) using the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) as case studies, in what ways does religion influence the process of regional integration? The answers to these questions serve to verify the hypothesis that assumes that religion is one of the factors which affects international relations in the Indo-Pacific region and cannot be treated as only a minor or irrelevant factor as it is widely seen in the West (mostly European countries).
The chapter is divided into four sections. The first section focuses on an overview of the perception of religion in theories of international relations. The second section presents the religious structure of the Indo-Pacific. The third section analyses the influence of religion on bilateral relations between countries in the Indo-Pacific. The fourth section focuses on analysing the influence of religion on the process of regional integration. The chapter ends with conclusions in the form of answers to the research questions posed, making it possible to verify the hypothesis.
