The U.S. often takes on the role of defending basic freedoms in the world at large. One of the better examples of this is our championing of religious liberty abroad and one of the primary tools we have used to do that is the annual publication of the report on International Religious Freedom by the State Department. This report serves as a barometer of the expansion and contraction of religious freedom, noting those countries which practice openness and contrasting them with countries that practice repression and religious persecution. In her remarks on the publication of this year’s report, Secretary Clinton said:

The right to profess, practice, and promote one’s religious beliefs is a founding principle of our nation. In fact, many of our earliest settlers came because they wanted the freedom to practice their own religion without a state interfering or oppressing that practice. It is the first liberty mentioned in our Bill of Rights, and it is a freedom guaranteed to all people in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. [...] The United States will always seek to counter negative stereotypes of individuals based on their religion and will stand against discrimination and persecution.

Even as the report represents a worthy affirmation of American values it also makes for rather awkward moments and complicates our diplomacy, as when we find ourselves criticizing allies (Saudi Arabia for example) who may not share our devotion to religious freedom. For more on the report, please this State Department video: