The Duck of Minerva

Peter Henne

Peter Henne is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and Global and Regional Studies Program at the University of Vermont. His research focuses on global religious politics and the Middle East. His first book, Islamic Politics, Muslim States and Counterterrorism Tensions, was published in 2017 by Cambridge University Press and he is currently working on a book analyzing how states try to use religion in foreign policy. His scholarly research has been published in International Journal of Religion, International Studies Perspectives, Journal of Church and State, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Journal of Peace Research, Politics and Religion, Religions, States and Societies, and Terrorism and Political Violence. In addition to the Duck, he has written for the Washington Post's Monkeycage, Political Violence at a Glance and The Huffington Post.

Recent Posts

Does IR really have a “culture problem?”

Does IR really have a “culture problem?”

by Peter Henne | 22 March, 2019 |

Is it a mistake to push back on a senior scholar (whose work you admire) right before ISA? Maybe. Is it overkill to post twice in one week? Probably (sorry Duck superiors). But I had to say something about this Christian Reus-Smit piece in Foreign Policy--based on his new book--claiming IR doesn't understand culture. It's an example of the sort of well-meaning critique that fails to really engage with work being done in IR, which can divide and undermine scholars who should be working together. Reus-Smit argues IR sees culture in an outdated manner, approaching cultures "as tightly...

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Is religious freedom just for the faithful?

Is religious freedom just for the faithful?

by Peter Henne | 19 March, 2019 | ,

Yesterday, Michelle Kosinki of CNN reported via Twitter that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was holding a special briefing for "faith-based media" only. She later relayed that the State Department was refusing to release the list of invited media or a transcript of the event. And we've now learned that the topic of the briefing was the state of religious freedom around the world. This creates a dangerous precedent and raises some serious issues about the manner in which conservatives define religious freedom. It also highlights why progressives need to engage with, rather than write off,...

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What should we think of the Pope’s UAE visit?

What should we think of the Pope’s UAE visit?

by Peter Henne | 6 February, 2019 | ,

Pope Francis recently visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE). His trip is historic, not just because it's the first by the head of the Roman Catholic Church. He will also lead an outdoor mass, the first to be held, according to the new coverage, in the Arabian Peninsula. Additionally, the Pope signed an accord of "human fraternity" with the Grand Imam of al-Azhar University, the top center of religious learning for Sunni Muslims. This all sounds good, but I have mixed feelings. The UAE has been putting a lot of effort into promoting interfaith dialogue and a "moderate Islam." One example is...

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The International Religious Freedom Campaign: A Cautionary Tale

The International Religious Freedom Campaign: A Cautionary Tale

by Peter Henne | 16 January, 2019 | ,

There was some interesting/concerning information hidden at the end of the New York Times coverage of Secretary of State Pompeo’s Cairo speech. After criticizing Obama’s foreign policy and calling for action on Iran, Pompeo mentioned the progress Egyptian President al-Sisi had apparently made on religious freedom, specifically protecting Christians. Some may dismiss this as cynicism or a sign of role Pompeo’s faith plays in his policies, but I think it’s more than that. It represents the worrying state of the international religious freedom (IRF) campaign, a robust, if low-key, international...

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Enes Kanter was right to be cautious

Enes Kanter was right to be cautious

by Peter Henne | 9 January, 2019 |

The NY Knicks will be travelling to London in a few weeks for a game against the Washington Wizards.  But center Enes Kanter has announced he won't be joining them. Kanter, who is Turkish and a frequent critic of Turkey's authoritarian President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said he is worried about his safety if he leaves the United States. This may seem surprising, but it shouldn't; Erdogan has launched a campaign of repression against his critics, both in Turkey and around the world. Kanter has every reason to be concerned. At first, this decision may seem a bit dramatic, like something out of a...

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Progressives: here’s what happens when you steal GOP talking points

Progressives: here’s what happens when you steal GOP talking points

by Peter Henne | 10 December, 2018 |

Progressives and liberals were quick to praise President George H.W. Bush when he passed away. Some of this was basic human decency. Some of this was honest admiration for a masterful foreign policy practitioner and a decent man. But some of it felt strategic, a way to point out all of Trump's failings. Highlighting Bush's virtues emphasized the issues with Trump and his Presidency. The fact that Bush was a Republican seemed to make this more effective; "look," Trump critics could say, "here are things Republicans used to value." It seemed an effective tactic. And then Trump nominated...

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Radical IR: approaches or implications?

Radical IR: approaches or implications?

by Peter Henne | 4 December, 2018 | ,

Dillon Tatum had an interesting post here last week, calling for a “radical” international relations. As Tatum notes, "radicalism intervenes in the political domain with the goal of fundamental transformation" and IR could function similarly. What would that look like? I think many would imagine a radical IR as radical in its approaches and methods. That is, scholars would critically examine biases and assumptions, uncover power structures and erase them. In this envisioning of critical IR, conventional methods—quantitative analyses, positivist qualitative studies—are part of the problem....

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What was behind the UAE’s detention of a UK graduate student

What was behind the UAE’s detention of a UK graduate student

by Peter Henne | 26 November, 2018 | ,

Like everyone else, I'm still trying to catch up after the Thanksgiving holiday. So I have a quick, kind of speculative post this week. It looks like the distressing saga of Matthew Hedges has finally been resolved. As I wrote about before, Hedges is a grad student in the UK who traveled to the UAE to conduct field work. After interviewing several subjects about UAE security policies, he was arrested and charged with espionage. He was recently been sentenced to life in prison, although the UAE just pardoned him. There is a lot to figure out with this case--what it means for scholars working...

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How praising Trump as a religious freedom champion will undermine Uighur advocacy

How praising Trump as a religious freedom champion will undermine Uighur advocacy

by Peter Henne | 19 November, 2018 | ,

The US Congress recently introduced bills that would call on the Trump Administration to press China over its treatment of the Uighurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group.  This would seem to be a good fit, as Trump has been critical of China throughout his time in office. And religious freedom--under which this would initiative would fall--seems to be the one area of human rights his Administration cares about. But any US pressure on China will be undermined by the similarity between some of China's Uighur policies and the Trump Administration's Muslim travel ban. This relates to a broader...

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What would Benedict Anderson say about Trump?

What would Benedict Anderson say about Trump?

by Peter Henne | 12 November, 2018 |

I've been watching the current debate over nationalism with some interest. Donald Trump identified himself as a nationalist in the run-up to the mid-term elections. He contrasted this with his foes, for whom he used the problematic term "globalist." Many saw this as a concerning move, especially paired with Trump's alarmist rhetoric over a caravan of Central American migrants. It also prompted a response from France's President Macron, criticizing nationalism as a "betrayal of patriotism." This got me thinking of my graduate studies, which involved a good amount of reading on nationalism...

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