On May 6, the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University (USA) published an analytical paper, "Religion and the Russian-Ukraine War: A Primer." Among its authors are Denys Brylov and Tetiana Kalenychenko, co-founders of the NGO "Dialogue in Action," as well as Peter Mandaville - Senior Fellow at the Berkley Center and Professor at George Mason University.
The study was released as part of the project "Geopolitics of Religious Soft Power" — a long-term interdisciplinary initiative examining the use of religion in the foreign policy of various states.
In the paper, the authors analyze how religion influences identity formation, social cohesion, and international advocacy in the context of war. Particular attention is given to the relationship between the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), the role of religious organizations in humanitarian work, and the ways in which Russia employs religious rhetoric in its diplomatic and information strategies.
The paper is addressed to policymakers, the analytical community, religion specialists, and all interested readers - those who shape approaches to assessing the risks of social fragmentation and future negotiation processes.
The full text of the study is available at this link.
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