亚洲AV

Navy chaplain works to build international peace

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U.S. Navy chaplain Andrew Hoyle studied hard in the classroom to complete his master of science in conflict analysis and resolution at 亚洲AV in one year, but he hasn鈥檛 stopping learning and gaining more experience. This summer, the active-duty officer interned at the (USIP) in Washington, D.C.听听

For his internship, Hoyle researched religions in Africa, China, Russia, and Rio de Janeiro, among other areas, looking at how the diversity of religions are embedded in cultures throughout the United States and internationally.鈥疕is work culminated in analyzing how the Russian Orthodox Church is expanding in Africa as part of Russian international relations efforts.聽

U.S. Navy Chaplain Andrew Hoyle. Photo provided.
U.S. Navy Chaplain Andrew Hoyle. Photo provided.

Hoyle said one of his favorite internship experiences was collaborating with the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development representatives, sharing their research and knowledge on peace building.听听听听聽

鈥淭he U.S. Ambassador to Suriname met with our team and talked about how indigenous peace building in Surinam helped address some of the nation鈥檚 biggest concerns,鈥 said Hoyle.听听

鈥淭hat was so phenomenal because I not only saw collaboration between the State Department and USIP on an official level, but on a really personal level. Seeing them address how we can do things better really reinforced to me that鈥檚 what international relations is about.鈥澨

USIP also frequently hosts forums and guest lectures on specific topics in the peacebuilding field. Hoyle鈥檚 academic advisor at George Mason鈥檚 , , encouraged him to attend as many as he could during his internship, he said.听听

鈥淚 learned so much about peace building in Africa, post-conflict societies for women in Ukraine, and how they relate to the wars happening,鈥 Hoyle said.听听

鈥淭here were all kinds of interesting topics that really expanded my understanding of peacebuilding and conflict resolution on an international level.鈥澨

The United States has active-duty service members all over the world working to deter wars and build positive relationships that create stability and security, explained Hoyle.听听聽

鈥淭hose relationships happen on the international and grassroots levels, and as a military chaplain, I have a unique opportunity to be there and build those relationships through religious actor engagement,鈥 said Hoyle.听听聽

Hoyle was able to complete his master's program in one year through the program.听听

At USIP, 鈥淚 was assigned to work with the Religion Inclusive Societies Team frequently doing research on the role of military chaplains in international peace-building endeavors and how chaplains could be better leveraged to engage in those capacities,鈥 said Hoyle.听听聽

Hoyle said his course with Carter School professor , CONF 600 Foundations of Conflict Analysis and Resolution, laid the framework of what to expect in this field.听听听听

鈥淭he course was really foundational in my understanding of what this field is all about,鈥 said Hoyle.听听聽

Hoyle also earned course credit with a Carter School study-abroad trip, Cambodia: Post Genocide Community Development, and Spirituality, from December 2023 to January 2024.听听听听

鈥淲e visited Buddhist monks and a monastery college, and we saw Buddhism in action culturally and did some comparison. This study-abroad experience really gave me an appetite for seeing more peacebuilding in the international community,鈥 explained Hoyle.听听聽

Hoyle said his time with USIP will also influence his work as a chaplain.听听

鈥淭hroughout this internship, I observed the importance of interfaith collaboration,鈥 he said. 鈥淥ne of the action guides that the team has put out is called Religion and Reconciliation, which focuses on intra- and inter-religious dialogue, and it鈥檚 something I see every day on a local level. I think that's going to be nuts and bolts for my next duty station assignment with the Navy.鈥澛