Associate Professor of International Relations
University of Exeter
About Gregorio Bettiza
Dr. Gregorio Bettiza is Associate Professor of International Relations (IR) and co-Director of the Center for Advanced International Studies (CAIS) at the University of Exeter. His research interests focus especially on the role of ideology, religions, and civilizational identities in foreign policy and international order. He has a further overarching interest in the theory, sociology, and pedagogy of IR. Bettiza is the co-editor of the Routledge book series Identity, Ideology, and Worldviews in Global Politics and editorial board member of Aspenia, Aspen Institute Italy’s journal of international affairs.
Research
Bettiza’s first book Finding Faith in Foreign Policy: Religion and American Diplomacy in a Postsecular World (Oxford University Press: 2019), explored how US foreign policymakers have increasingly sought to understand and manage global religious dynamics since the end of the Cold War. The monograph was awarded three honorable book prize mentions, two from the International Studies Association (2021 and 2020) and one from the European Academy of Religion (2019).
Bettiza is currently working on a second book project developing a theory of state power through religion in international relations. In a separate set of papers, he is also focusing on the challenges posed by illiberal ideologies and forces, including authoritarian rising powers and populists in the West, to the liberal international order. In this context, Bettiza is developing a broader research agenda on the changing character of international order. Finally, in a number of articles, blog posts, and forums he has contributed to ongoing theoretical, sociological, and pedagogical debates about the discipline of IR.
Studies, Fellowships and Professional Experience
Previously to joining Exeter, Bettiza was a Max Weber Postdoctoral Fellow (2012-2014) at the European University Institute (EUI). He obtained his PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in 2012, funded by the LSE IDEAS Stonex Scholarship. Bettiza held Visiting Fellowships at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University, in 2011 and 2017. In a past, pre-PhD life, he also worked for the World Bank and the UNHCR.
Research Network Member: A New Cold War? Historical and Contemporary Ideological Competition in the International System, King’s College London, 2024-2026
Gregorio Bettiza is a member of the AHRC-funded Research Network “A New Cold War? Historical and Contemporary Ideological Competition in the International System”
The Illiberal Global Politics of Religion and Civilizations
Oxford University Press, 2024. Religious and civilizational politics are widely recognized as powerful forces challenging key norms of the liberal international order in the twenty-first century. The chapter begins by emphasizing that religions and civilizations are...
Workshop Invitation: What is the Future of “the West”? Transatlantic Political Order in an Era of War and Upheaval, Contestation of the LiberalScript (Berlin/Princeton)
Together with Princeton University and the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), SCRIPTS will host two workshops What is the Future of “the West”? Transatlantic Political Order in an Era of War and Upheaval.
Research Projects
Religion, States and Power in Global Politics
Bettiza is currently working on a new book project developing the concept of sacred capital to theorize and understand the entanglements between religion, states, and power in global politics today.
Ideology and International Order
Bettiza is developing a second research agenda that connects his interests in religion and civilizations, to wider debates about ideology, illiberalism, and the changing character of international order.
Sociology, Theory, and Pedagogy of International Relations (IR)
Bettiza has a longstanding interest in the sociology, theory, and pedagogy of IR. In two co-authored journal articles with Stephane Baele they interrogate the “turns phenomenon” in the discipline and “what metrics do” to academics.
Current Courses
The West, Civilizations and World Order
University of Exeter | Master | 2014-Present
World Orders: Past, Present, and Future
University of Exeter | Undergraduate | 2022-Present
The Challenges of World Politics in the 21st Century
University of Exeter | Undergraduate | 2014-Present