Religious, Cultural, and Minority Rights

The modern world's first democracy, the United States, was founded in large part as a reaction against religious oppression. So its no surprise that the protection of rights to religious and cultural beliefs and practices are cornerstones of democratic societies. And yet, even in our heterogeneous world, protections for ethnic and religious minorities can seem fragile at best. The benefits of democracy can be found in every part of the globe. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and its com…