Former State Department adviser Knox Thames urges U.S. to match values with leverage on religious freedom

At a briefing hosted by the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, commonly called the Helsinki Commission, Knox Thames, a former State Department special adviser for religious minorities, said the United States is uniquely positioned to defend religious freedom and should pair moral commitment with practical leverage. Thames outlined four types of persecution—authoritarian, extremist, democratic majoritarian pressures and terrorism—and urged U.S. officials to act through "coalitions, consistency, call outs and consequences."

Thames said that countries that respect religious freedom tend to be more stable and prosperous and that…