Politics in the name of God and Jesus: Evangelicalism’s Rising İnfluence on U.S. Foreign Policy During Donald Trump’s Presidency Period

Year 2021, Volume: 16 Issue: 2, 1 - 25, 15.10.2021

Onur Mert Özçelik , Mehmet Akif Okur

https://doi.org/10.17550/akademikincelemeler.871002

Abstract

Evangelicalism, due to the reasons stemming from the American history and demographic structure, has shaped the worldview of the majority of American society and has shown its influence from the lowest level of society to the highest officials of the government. However, evangelical Christians are not religiously and politically monolithic. Although evangelicals can be found in almost every Protestant sect in the United States, there have been many different beliefs, various subcultures, and evangelicalism with opposing views. Since the early 1970s, evangelical groups with fundamentalist views, which are also called the neo-conservative right, have increased their visibility in public opinion both within churches and through the various non-governmental organisations which they have established and have become an influential force in US politics. This study examines the effects of these fundamentalist evangelical groups on the US policies towards the Middle East during the Donald Trump administration period. In this context, it tries to explain the interests perceptions of evangelicals as a pressure group in domestic and foreign policy, to define the foreign policy areas in which they are particularly interested, and to observe the interactions and connections of the evangelical movement with Donald Trump and other actors under his administration.

Keywords

Political Science and International Relations, U.S. Foreign Policy, Trump’s Presidency Period, Evangelicalism, Dispensationalism

Trump Yönetimi Döneminde ABD’nin İsrail ve İran Politikası: Köktenci Evanjeliklerin Etkisi

Abstract

Amerikan tarihi ve demografik yapısından kaynağını alan nedenlerden ötürü evanjelizm, Amerikan toplumunun önemli bir çoğunluğunun dünya görüşünü şekillendirmiş ve toplumun en alt kademesinden devletin en üst düzey yetkililerine kadar etkisini göstermiştir. Ancak evanjelik Hıristiyanlar dini açıdan ve politik olarak yekpare olmamışlardır. Amerika Birleşik Devletleri'nde hemen her Protestan mezhebinde evanjelikler bulunabilmekle beraber birçok farklı inanç, çeşitli alt kültürler ve birbirine zıt görüşler taşıyan evanjelizmler söz konusu olmuştur. 1970’li yılların başından itibaren ise yeni muhafazakâr sağ olarak da adlandırılan ve gerek kiliselerde gerekse tesis ettikleri çeşitli sivil toplum organizasyonları aracılığıyla kamuoyunda görünürlükleri artan ve ABD siyasetinde etkili bir güç haline gelen köktenci görüşlere sahip evanjelik gruplar öne çıkmaya başlamıştır. Bu çalışma, bu köktenci evanjelik grupların Donald Trump yönetimi döneminde ABD’nin Ortadoğu’ya yönelik izlediği politikalara etkisini incelemektedir. Bu kapsamda evanjeliklerin iç ve dış politikada bir baskı grubu olarak çıkar algılarını açıklama, özel olarak ilgilendiği dış politika alanlarını tanımlama ve Evanjelik hareketin Donald Trump ve yönetimindeki diğer isimlerle etkileşimleri ve bağlantılarını gözlemlemeye çalışmaktadır.

Keywords

Aşamalı Kadercilik, Siyaset Bilimi ve Uluslararası İlişkiler, Amerikan Dış Politikası, Trump’ın Başkanlık Dönemi, Evanjelizm

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