How is Buddhist nationalism transforming Asia? In conversation with Sonia Faleiro

<p>Buddhism is often seen in the West as a religion of peace and serenity - rarely, if ever, associated with violence. But that comforting image has obscured a darker and more complex reality playing out across Southeast Asia.</p><p> Journalist and author Sonia Faleiro joins Nick Spencer to explore her latest book <em>The Robe and the Sword</em>, which examines how Buddhist nationalism has fuelled ethnic tension, discrimination, and outright genocide in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand. From the militant monks who emerged out of Sri Lanka&#39;s brutal civil war, to the Facebook-driven hatred that preceded the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar, the patterns Faleiro uncovers are uncomfortably familiar to anyone watching the rise of religious nationalism elsewhere in the world.</p><p>You can buy Sonia&#39;s book, <em>The Robe and the Sword: How Buddhism is Shaping Modern Asia, </em><a href="https://globalreports.columbia.edu/books/the-robe-and-the-sword⁠" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">here</a>: <a href="https://globalreports.columbia.edu/books/the-robe-and-the-sword" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://globalreports.columbia.edu/books/the-robe-and-the-sword</a></p>