Why Religious Freedom Matters

In this episode of GREAT POWER PODCAST, host Michael Sobolik speaks with Ambassador Samuel Brownback, the former Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, about the role of religious freedom in foreign policy, the tension between human rights and geopolitics, and global hotspots of religious persecution.

Guest Biography

Samuel Brownback served as the United States Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom from 2018 to 2021. Previously, Brownback served as the U.S. representative for Kansas's 2nd congressional district (1995–96), as a United States senator from Kansas (1996–2011), and the 46th governor of Kansas (2011–18).

Resources from the Conversation

• Read Kenneth Waltz's book, Man, The State, And War: A Theoretical Analysis
• Read Ambassador Brownback's comments about spiritual capital
• Read about Ambassador Brownback's advocacy for Uyghurs, North Koreans, and the Rohingya
• Read the JADE Act