Systemic militarization of US foreign policy: How Christian Zionism and imperial doctrine fuel Middle East escalation

Indigenous Middle Eastern communities—including Assyrian Christians, Zoroastrians, and Yarsanis—have long resisted both US intervention and theocratic rule, advocating for secular federalism. Their oral histories document how colonial-era Christian missions paved the way for later militarization, framing local resistance as 'heretical.' The erasure of these voices in Western discourse reflects a broader pattern of indigenous knowledge being sidelined in favor of imperial narratives.

The US-Iran conflict traces back to the 1953 CIA-backed coup against Mossadegh, followed by decades of sanctions and proxy wars (e.g., Iran-Iraq War). Christian Zionism’s rise in the 1970s–80s coincided with the Moral Majority’s alignment with Israeli hardliners, creating a bipartisan consensus for militarized Middle East policy. Hegseth’s rhetoric mirrors 19th-century 'manifest destiny' justifications for expansion, repurposed for 21st-century imperialism.

In West Africa, Pentecostal leaders like Nigeria’s TB Joshua have condemned US Christian militarism as a 'false gospel,' while South African theologians draw parallels to apartheid-era justifications for state violence. Buddhist monks in Myanmar and Sri Lanka, despite their own nationalist tendencies, have criticized Christian nationalist militarism as a threat to regional stability. These comparisons reveal a global pattern of religious nationalism fueling state violence.

Political science research (e.g., John Mearsheimer’s *The Israel Lobby*) demonstrates how evangelical lobbying groups like CUFI influence US policy on Iran via campaign donations and voter mobilization. Neuroscience studies show that apocalyptic eschatology (e.g., dispensationalism) reduces risk aversion in foreign policy decisions. Econometric models link defense industry lobbying to increased likelihood of military intervention (e.g., *Journal of Conflict Resolution*, 2020).

Artists like Ai Weiwei and Shirin Neshat depict the human cost of US-Iran tensions, framing the conflict as a spiritual crisis of empathy. Persian Sufi poetry (e.g., Rumi) is often co-opted by both sides to justify violence, revealing how sacred texts are weaponized. The 2020 film *The Report* critiques the CIA’s use of 'enhanced interrogation' as a perversion of Christian ethics, while Iranian cinema (e.g., *A Separation*) portrays the human toll of sanctions.

Scenario modeling by the RAND Corporation predicts that sustained US-Iran tensions could lead to a regional war by 2030, with 1.2M displaced and $2T in economic losses. Alternative futures include a US withdrawal from the Middle East (as in Afghanistan) or a negotiated demilitarization of the Strait of Hormuz. The rise of 'post-secular' diplomacy—incorporating faith-based peacebuilding—could offer a third path, but requires dismantling the defense industry’s influence.

Iranian feminists (e.g., Masih Alinejad) and LGBTQ+ activists face persecution for opposing both theocracy and US intervention, yet their perspectives are excluded from Western debates. Iraqi Christians, displaced by ISIS and US airstrikes, warn that further militarization will accelerate their erasure. Palestinian Christians in the West Bank and Gaza argue that US Christian Zionism directly enables their oppression, linking domestic and foreign policy struggles.