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.

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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.

Recent Posts

This Protestant feels confused: On moral authority and the Pope-Trump divide

This Protestant feels confused: On moral authority and the Pope-Trump divide

by | 24 April, 2026 | ,

As I have discussed here, I am a proud Protestant. I was raised Lutheran, and am now Episcopalian. While there is some variation among Episcopalians and Anglicans over whether they see themselves as Protestant, both my birth and adopted traditions are united in a rejection of the Pope’s—or as some call him, the Bishop of Rome’s—authority. And as a fan of medieval and early modern history, I always vicariously sided with the political leaders who stood up to the Roman Catholic church. I even named one of my first articles after an argument attributed to Frederick II on the need to separate...

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Religious nationalism makes the profane sacred: True faith uses the sacred to heal the world

Religious nationalism makes the profane sacred: True faith uses the sacred to heal the world

by | 6 April, 2026 |

For Western Christians, Holy Week—the most important time of the church calendar—just finished. Like many other Christians, it is a powerful and challenging time of the year. We are meant to reflect on how we are self-assured in our devotion to Jesus’ teachings one minute and turn on Him the next, seeing ourselves in the disciples who abandoned him. We are supposed to meditate on the simultaneous horrors and hope in His crucifixion. And we spent the weekend waiting for His resurrection (although I admit I rarely make it to the Saturday vigil). But this year was extra difficult to stay...

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Was I wrong on the Gulf states and Iran? An exercise in academic humility

Was I wrong on the Gulf states and Iran? An exercise in academic humility

by | 27 March, 2026 |

When I was in graduate school, my training included the methods and theories of international relations but also some of the epistemology and philosophy of science behind the sub-field. We discussed what makes a good research program and how can we tell if we’re making any progress in understanding the world. One of my advisors was a fan of Imre Lakatos’ approach, which looks at whether a research program is uncovering new novel facts or adjusting its initial claims to make up for discrepant observations. My fellow graduate students and I suffered through the application of this debate to a...

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Iran and the shadow of the Kosovo intervention

Iran and the shadow of the Kosovo intervention

by | 3 March, 2026 | ,

When I was in grad school in the mid-aughts, one Professor was a die-hard supporter of George W. Bush’s foreign policy. When challenged over the legality of Iraq, he noted that it is inconsistent for any liberal to oppose the invasion of Iraq while supporting the NATO intervention in Kosovo. Both were ostensibly in support of humanitarian goals, and neither received UN Security Council authorization, rendering them illegal. This may be less of a dilemma now that restraint has become a buzz-word among Democratic foreign policy circles and liberal internationalists seem few and far between....

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Rubio’s civilizational appeals will backfire

Rubio’s civilizational appeals will backfire

by | 18 February, 2026 |

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s speech at the Munich Security Conference demonstrated he is a better diplomat than Vice President J.D. Vance, although that’s not much of a hurdle to clear. Where Vance gave a bullying lecture, Rubio’s speech focused on emphasizing the importance of transatlantic ties and maintaining the US-European alliance. He argued the goal of this alliance, however, was to defend a common culture against the “threat” of immigration, raising concerns. And one of the ways he attempted to do this—appealing to shared Christian faith and a common Western civilization—will...

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Renee Goode and the limits of false terrorism charges

Renee Goode and the limits of false terrorism charges

by | 9 January, 2026 |

On 7 January, US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents opened fire on Renee Goode, killing her. To be honest, I wanted to write a post on just how sad and terrifying this murder was. How wrong it is that ICE agents are targeting opposition-led cities and using brutal tactics against people suspected of being in the US illegally and protesters, including clergy who take part in protests. How unjustified it was that an ICE agent fired three times at someone who did not present any threat to him (see this good breakdown by a former FBI agent). How predictable it was that this...

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Trump, US foreign policy and Venezuela: Aberration or Honesty?

Trump, US foreign policy and Venezuela: Aberration or Honesty?

by | 5 January, 2026 |

In my international relations classes, I encourage my students to not just express their (mostly negative) views of Trump’s foreign policy. I also ask them to reflect on the extent to which Trump’s actions are in line with the history of US foreign policy. Some see the United States as adhering to liberal international norms, with Trump a major break. Others argue the United States was always domineering and aggressive, so Trump shouldn’t be much of a surprise. I thought of that as I read the news about the US intervention in Venezuela this weekend. I started out shocked; this feels like a...

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Do you want a religious war? Because this is how you get a religious war

Do you want a religious war? Because this is how you get a religious war

by | 26 December, 2025 |

And in despair I bowed my head; "There is no peace on earth," I said;"For hate is strong, And mocks the song Of peace on earth, good-will to men! Thanks for reading The Duck of Minerva! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow My family and I go to our church’s Christmas morning service, in addition to the Christmas eve service. It’s a short service, with light attendance, but it helps to remind of us the point of the holiday. When I heard about Trump’s air strikes on Nigeria—meant to help Nigerian Christians—the Christmas carols we sang were...

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Ceasefire NOW (but not *now*)

Ceasefire NOW (but not *now*)

by | 23 October, 2025 |

After years of calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, a ceasefire was recently announced and…those calling for the ceasefire are upset about it. There are some valid reasons to hold off on celebrating, but I worry this represents a deeper issue with how we conceive of peace and how we study the Middle East. And this will only hurt the Palestinians these voices claim to champion. The ceasefire The ceasefire the Trump Administration negotiated—or pushed on Netanyahu, which may be more accurate—is supposed to be step one of a “20 point” peace plan. The immediate steps involve Israel withdrawing from...

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