FEDERALhearing transcript

Congressional Hearing on U.S. Efforts to Protect Religious Freedom Abroad

Original title: REVIEW OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT'S ROLE IN PROTECTING INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

January 1, 2018

religious freedom foreign policy national security human rights international relations

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The Frame

What this does

This hearing examines the effectiveness of U.S. foreign policy tools used to influence international human rights practices and national security outcomes.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

U.S. Department of State

The agency is responsible for implementing foreign policy regarding religious freedom and producing annual reports on the subject.

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

The commission provides independent monitoring and recommendations to the U.S. government regarding international religious freedom conditions.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2018.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The House on National Security held a hearing on October 11, 2017, to evaluate how the U.S. government monitors and promotes religious freedom in other countries. The hearing featured testimony from State Department officials, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, and policy experts regarding the link between religious liberty and global stability.

Key Facts

The hearing took place on October 11, 2017, in the Rayburn House Office Building.
The Subcommittee on National Security convened to review the U.S. government's role in protecting international religious freedom.
The State Department maintains that countries protecting religious freedom are generally more stable, economically vibrant, and peaceful.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is an independent, bipartisan agency tasked with monitoring religious environments overseas.
Witnesses included representatives from the State Department, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, the Religious Freedom Institute, and Human Rights First.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the U.S. government monitor religious freedom in other countries?

The State Department argues that protecting religious freedom is linked to national security, as countries that safeguard this right tend to be more stable and less prone to terrorism and violence.

Who testified at this hearing?

Witnesses included Michael G. Kozak (State Department), Kristina Arriaga de Bucholz (U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom), Thomas F. Farr (Religious Freedom Institute), and Rob Berschinski (Human Rights First).

Why It Matters

This hearing examines the effectiveness of U.S. foreign policy tools used to influence international human rights practices and national security outcomes.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Security-Human Rights Nexus

The hearing highlights a shift in framing religious freedom not just as a moral imperative, but as a core component of national security and counter-terrorism strategy.

U.S. Department of State

Connected Entities

personMichael G. Kozak“Senior Advisor, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of ”Map →

personRon DeSantis“Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security”Map →

personThomas F. Farr“President, Religious Freedom Institute”Map →

personRob Berschinski“Senior Vice President, Policy, Human Rights First”Map →

personKristina Arriaga de Bucholz“Vice Chair, Commission on International Religious Freedom”Map →

organizationSubcommittee on National Security“House committee conducting the hearing”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance40
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy20
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz10
Current news / social attention level

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