The Impact of Religion on the American Character

This event is a part of the Student Lecture Series at IWP. About the Lecture: The United States, like most Western liberal countries, is a secular nation, as the American Founders established a political system that effectively separates Church and State. Nevertheless, religion has played an important role in developing the “American Character.” The speaker will discuss how religion was indispensable for the success of the young American Republic and argue that it is nearly impossible to imagine the United States without it. This lecture is an installment of IWP's Student Speaker Series. About the Speaker: Tobias Brandt is originally from Germany and graduated from the University of Hamburg with a degree in Middle Eastern and Religious Studies in 2015. For his Bachelor’s Thesis, he analyzed al-Qaeda’s propaganda strategy on the basis of original Arabic documents. He is currently studying Statecraft and International Affairs with a specialization in International Politics at the Institute of World Politics. His key research areas are U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, the role of religion in politics, as well as the transatlantic relationship. Mr. Brandt’s lecture is based on a paper he submitted for IWP's course on American Founding Principles.