This Handbook breaks new ground by addressing global security through the lens of religion and the role religion plays in both war and peace. There has been a considerable upsurge of public concern about the role of religion in contemporary violence. However, other than historical materials, there has been a relative neglect of the subject of religion and security. The academic disciplines of anthropology, sociology, political science, international relations, geography, and economics have surprisingly little emphasis on this subject. There are two major exceptions: (1) military studies that focus on just war and justice in war studies to better inform policy, and (2) religious enclaves studying war-related issues from sectarian (and generally theological) perspectives. For the past ten years, people have tried with great passion but little attention to 'universals' to explain 'religious violence', i.e. Islamic radicalism, Christian genocide, Buddhist nationalism, and Hindu riots. The general approach has been that of comparative theologies, which has provoked a lot of debate. But theology, like ideology, is short on being able to predict behaviour.
In other words, the discussion of religion and violence must include, but not be restricted to, theology. Ideas matter but what we are trying to explain is behaviour -- behaviour(s) associated in some way with religious beliefs and power. That power can be approached as resources, interpersonal, cultural, and social expertise. This Handbook fills the gap for a comprehensive volume which combines theory and with contemporary case studies. The themes and issues covered by this Handbook will provide information and insight into the role of religion in contemporary war in the global environment covering all of the world's major religions, forms of warfare and contributions to peace. This book will be of great interest to students of religion, security studies, war and conflict studies and IR in general.