Apocalyptic Evangelicals and Middle Eastern Conflicts: Religion, Politics, and Geopolitical Risk

This article investigates the role of evangelical apocalyptic thought in shaping conflicts in the Middle East, with particular attention to U.S. foreign policy and Israeli politics. Beginning with the guiding question—Do some evangelicals and their apocalyptic ideas shape the fighting in the Middle East?—the study traces the historical roots of evangelical influence in American society, their rise as a political force, and their division into passive and radical groups. While the passive majority emphasizes moral living and cultural values, the radical minority interprets contemporary events as fulfillments of biblical prophecy, exerting disproportionate influence on U.S. policy. The article examines the views of prominent radical evangelicals—John Hagee, Pat Robertson, Mike Pence, Ted Cruz, and Marjorie Taylor Greene—particularly regarding Iran, highlighting how prophecy-driven narratives intersect with geopolitical strategies. It then poses two further questions: whether Benjamin Netanyahu, intentionally or not, aligns more closely with radical evangelicals than with mainstream Jewish perspectives, and whether U.S.–Israeli policy risks drifting away from pragmatic security concerns and geopolitical calculations toward apocalyptic frameworks. By situating evangelical apocalypticism within the broader context of religion, politics, and war, the article underscores the dangers of prophecy-driven policymaking and its potential to destabilize the Middle East by neglecting realpolitik security imperatives and long-term geopolitical stability. This article was written with the assistance of AI, although the major idea and conceptual framework belong to the author.