For a deeper understanding of the interplay between religion and U.S. foreign policy, few such books go as deep as Dark Crusade: Christian Zionism and US Foreign Policy by Clifford A. Kiracofe. This endlessly detailed book explores how American geopolitics in general, and its role in the Middle East specifically, has been molded by Christian Zionism.
Clifford A. Kiracofe is no mere academic, but someone who has walked the halls of power. He has taught political science at Washington and Lee University and history at the Virginia Military Institute, and was previously a Senior Professional Staff Member of the U.S. Senate on Foreign Relations. His experience with government and academia provides him a unique window through which to analyze the way religious ideology drives policy decisions.
Overview of Dark Crusade
In Dark Crusade, published by I.B. Tauris, Kiracofe traced the historical formation and ideological architecture of Christian Zionism. He also explores how it shaped American foreign policy, especially in the MiddleEast. Tracking the movement’s origins in 19th-century British imperial policy, its appropriation by American evangelical circles and its impact on U.S. policy from the early 20th century through the George W. Bush administration.
The book is structured into three main sections:
- Christian Zionism and Nineteenth-Century Imperialism
- Christian Zionism and American Foreign Policy (1917–1948)
- Christian Zionism and American Foreign Policy from the Cold War to Bush
Key Themes and Insights
Kiracofe depicts Christian Zionism as a potent ideological force that has helped shape U.S. foreign policy, not always with positive ramifications for regional stability. He traces its theological roots, including dispensationism — a belief that history proceeds along a divinely preordained path culminating in the restoration of Israel and an apocalyptic End Times scenario.
A key premise of the book is that Christian Zionism has been an engine behind US support of the territorial expansion of Israel, complementing the agenda of political Zionism. Kiracofe contends that this ideological alignment has influenced major U.S. policies, including military interventions in the Middle East. He lays out a history of how the movement took root, from early advocates such as John Nelson Darby to its current backers such as Jerry Falwell and John Hagee.
A passage from the book highlights the apocalyptic motivations of some Christian Zionists:
“These believers are convinced that they have a personal responsibility to hasten this coming of the ‘rapture’ in order to fulfill biblical prophecy. Their agenda calls for a war in the Middle East against Islam (Iraq?) and the taking of the entire Holy Land by Jews (occupation of the West Bank?), with the total expulsion of all Christians and other gentiles.”
Kiracofe also emphasizes how Christian Zionism diverges from traditional Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox Christian beliefs. He notes:
“Dispensationalist doctrine rejects solutions like [a two-state solution], making it an obstacle to peace in the region and a challenge to U.S. foreign and national security policy.”
Watch our interview with Dr Kiracofe:
Christian Zionism’s Political Influence
The book details the rising political power of Christian Zionist organizations that have been pushing for aggressive pro-Israel policies in Washington. Kiracofe examines how such evangelical advisors — some with Christian Zionist leanings — shaped the foreign policies of presidential leaders like Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. He also enters the territory of bipartisan support for Christian Zionist initiatives and argues that though the current Democratic party has resisted Christian Zionist advancement, forces of an ideology that promotes US interventionism in the region is evident on both sides of the aisle.
Kiracofe writes:
“Christian Zionism, given its millions of devotees and its political influence, poses a structural political challenge to the American constitutional order, as well as to a just and peaceful international order.”
Historical Context and Global Impact
Kiracofe situates Christian Zionism in a broader historical context, connecting it to 19th-century British imperialism and the Cold War realignment of American foreign policy. He applies historical patterns of European colonial strategies in the Middle East to current U.S. policies, arguing that Christian Zionism acts as a contemporary ideological rationale for interventionist policies.
He references historical parallels, such as the role of Britain’s Lord Palmerston in promoting Jewish resettlement in Palestine:
“Palmerston’s pioneering use of Christian Zionism as a tool of imperial policy stands out in high relief... The origins of Britain’s role in the restoration of Israel are to be found in two motives, religious and political.”
Conclusion
Kiracofe’s Dark Crusade offers a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of Christian Zionism, and its influence on U.S. foreign policy. His work is heavily researched, building on historical records, theological debates and political developments to buttress his arguments. Although the book does not explicitly argue either for or against Christian Zionism, it offers a critical view on the movement’s impact on global geopolitics.
For readers concerned with the significance of religion in international affairs, Dark Crusade presents a thorough and well-documented account of how a theology has helped to give shape to one of the most intricate and wide-reaching conflicts of modernity.
Please leave your opinions / comments on these stories below, we appreciate your perspective!
