JOHNNIE MOORE PHD

This transcription discusses the role of evangelical Christians in Middle East peacemaking. It explores the concept of track two diplomacy, which involves influential figures building trust and connections outside of official government channels. The dissertation focuses on the impact of evangelicals on US politics and their pro-Israel stance. It examines their involvement in peace agreements such as Camp David, Oslo, and the Abraham Accords. The dissertation suggests that religion plays a significant role in foreign policy and argues for the importance of considering religious beliefs in peace processes. It also highlights the potential of other faiths in peacemaking efforts. Welcome back everybody, ready for another deep dive. Today, we're going somewhere unexpected, a kind of hidden force in Middle East peacemaking. Evangelical Christians. Yeah, not the first group that comes to mind when you think international diplomacy. Definitely not. But that's exactly what we're getting into. We're digging into a recent PhD dissertation, super interesting stuff, all about track two diplomacy. You ever heard of that? Oh yeah, it's basically like a, think of it as a shadow peace process, happening alongside the official one, but instead of diplomats in stuffy rooms, it's influential figures. So like, who are we talking? Could be religious leaders, academics, anyone with serious connections, but not beholden to government positions. They work those back channels, try to build trust where the official guys can't. So this dissertation, it zeroes in on evangelicals, and their whole thing is being pro-Israel, right? So did that help or hurt peace efforts? That's what we wanna find out. It's a great question. And to really grasp their impact, we need to understand their influence on US politics, which is huge. Think about it. Evangelicals, they make up something like a third of US voters. And they haven't been quiet about their beliefs, especially since the 80s, with the whole moral majority movement. Like, wasn't it Jerry Falwell? The very same. The dissertation focuses a lot on him, actually. So he was really at the forefront of injecting religion, specifically evangelical Christianity, into politics. And for a lot of them, that included a deep concern, you could even say a theological concern, with the state of Israel. Okay, so they care deeply about the Middle East, but here's what gets me. The dissertation points out there's actually very little research on evangelicals in Track Two specifically. Yeah, it's a real blind spot. And it's fascinating, right? Because they're so active on Middle East issues, but what were they doing behind the scenes? This dissertation tries to unpack that by looking at three major peace agreements, Camp David in 78, Oslo in 93, and the more recent Abraham Accords in 2020. Now, most people know about Camp David, right? Egypt and Israel, huge peace treaty. But the backstory, that's where it gets juicy. Because guess who was meeting with both Sadat and D-Begin just before it all went down? Orwell, right? You got it. But before we get there, I gotta ask, I'm always wondering about this. How does religion even play into foreign policy? Isn't that all about power and security? Usually, yeah, that's the realist view. But there's this other theory, constructivism, and it says that ideas matter too. Shared beliefs, even religious ones. And sometimes, that can really shake things up. Okay, so back to Falwell. The dissertation digs into this, and it's wild. He was like a secret back channel between the two leaders. Especially when the official talks were going nowhere. Which, let's be honest, was probably a lot of the time, given the history there. I mean, you're talking decades of conflict, multiple wars, deep mistrust on both sides. For Sadat, just agreeing to meet with D-Begin was huge-y. First Arab leader to formally recognize Israel. The pressure was immense. And in the middle of it all, you've got Falwell running around with his Bible, basically. Well, not exactly. But the dissertation argues that evangelicals, because of how they view faith, very personal, direct line to God, it made them approach diplomacy differently. They really focused on those one-on-one relationships. Finding shared values, even across faiths. Stuff that your typical diplomat might miss. So, did it work? Did Falwell single-handedly bring peace to the Middle East? Let's not get ahead of ourselves. The dissertation doesn't go that far. But it does show that religious figures, they can have an impact. Especially when trust is in short supply. Which it definitely was. It makes you think, you know, maybe that personal touch, that faith element, played a part in Camp David's success. Who knows? And that makes the next agreement we're gonna look at even more interesting. Because it was totally different. Oslo, in 93, aiming for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Huge deal, total flop in the end. And what went on, or rather what didn't go on, behind the scenes, is really telling. Yeah, Oslo is a completely different beast. See, Camp David, they had all that back-channeling, right? Oslo was all official channels, everything by the book, which didn't leave much room for Track Two to operate. And I'm guessing Jerry Falwell wasn't jetting off to meet Arafat? He was not. And honestly, religion in general, it was practically nonexistent at Oslo. Like, they went out of their way to avoid it. And that's where this dissertation, it gets really interesting. Because it argues that sidelining faith, that was a huge e-mistake. Because religion, whether you like it or not, it's at the core of both Israeli and the Palestinian identity. So basically, they were trying to solve the problem, but ignoring a big chunk of, like, what made the problem the problem in the first place. Exactly, like trying to bake a cake and just forgetting the flour. You can try, but it's not gonna turn out right. Okay, so Oslo. Not a shining example of religious diplomacy in action. But the dissertation, it does mention something that happened afterward, right? Something about the Church of Norway. Yeah, so after the Accords were already signed, the Church of Norway, they gave this Track Two thing a try. Their whole goal was to build, like, grassroots support for the peace process, get ordinary people on board. Sounds like a good idea, but. But it was tough going. And the dissertation, it uses this as a cautionary tale, basically. Even with the best intentions, timing is everything. You can't just sprinkle some religion on a conflict and expect a miracle cure. It's like context matters. Yeah. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to force it, the pieces just aren't there, or the timing is off, or whatever. Totally, and that makes the Abraham Accords, our last example, super fascinating, because they're almost the opposite of Oslo. And since it's all still so recent, the dissertation, it's more of a sneak peek into the future of this whole evangelical diplomacy thing than, you know, a complete history. Right, because with Camp David and Oslo, we're talking way back when. Abraham Accords, that's 2020. Yeah. Still playing out. So, remind us, who was involved again? So you had the UAE, Bahrain, even Morocco, all normalizing relations with Israel. Huge deal. And driven by, what was it, shared fear of Iran? That was a big part of it. Real politic, as they say. But, and this is key, there's this whole other layer going on. The religion angle. Exactly. See, unlike Oslo, where they treated religion like a hot potato, the years leading up to the Abraham Accords, there was this surge in religious engagement, particularly in the UAE. They even had this whole year of tolerance thing. Year of tolerance. Seriously. No, I'm serious. 2019, they went all out. Interfaith conferences, they built this massive complex with a mosque, a church, and a synagogue, all right next to each other. Wow. So were they laying the groundwork for the Accords? Is that what the dissertation is saying? It's hard to say for sure. It's still too early, but it definitely makes you wonder, right? Like maybe all that interfaith stuff, maybe that created the conditions, the trust for the Accords to even happen. It's like they were building a bridge, but doing it quietly behind the scenes, so that when the politicians were ready to walk across, it was already there. That's a great way to put it. And that brings us back to our main man, Jerry Falwell, and this whole idea of evangelicals as peacemakers. It's messy, it's complicated. Yeah, and like we said at the top, we're not trying to say any one side is right or wrong here, or that religion is always the answer. Definitely not. But what this deep dive shows, I think, is that you can't understand what's going on in the world, especially in a place like the Middle East, without understanding religion. It's a factor, whether we like it or not. And it's not always about fighting over who's right. Sometimes it's about people of faith trying to do good, trying to bring peace, even if they don't always get it right. Exactly. And sometimes it's those unexpected people, those outsiders who end up shaking things up and making a difference. Which makes you think, what about other faiths? If evangelicals, with all their, let's be honest, baggage, can have an impact, what about everyone else? What if we took this whole track two thing and made it more, I don't know, inclusive? Now you're talking. Imagine bringing together not just evangelicals, but Muslims, Jews, Catholics, everyone, not to erase their differences, but to find that common ground, that shared desire for peace that I think exists in every faith. That's a powerful thought. And maybe, just maybe, it holds the key to something truly lasting. It's like we've been saying all along, right? Sometimes the folks pushing for peace, they come from the places you'd least expect. And they bring a whole different playbook to the table. It's true. And what we've been looking at really shows how powerful ideas can be, especially religious beliefs. They can literally change the course of history, for better or worse, obviously. This dissertation, it was all about evangelicals. And even with them, it was a mixed bag. Totally. Some wins, some not so wins. But it gets you thinking, doesn't it? Like, what about everybody else? What about the peacemaking potential of other faiths? Exactly. If a group like evangelicals, and let's be honest, they've got their quirks. That's one word for it. Right. But even with all that, they still manage to make some waves. So imagine if we could tap into the, I don't know, the collective goodwill of all the faiths out there. The ones who genuinely want a more peaceful world. Okay, now you're really talking. So not just evangelicals at the table, but Muslims, Jews, Catholics, Buddhists, you name it. Not to pretend their differences don't exist, because that never works, but to see if they can find that common ground. Because deep down, don't we all want the same thing? A world without constant fighting? I think so. Maybe, just maybe, that shared desire for peace. That's the key to making it last. Not treaties and sanctions, but actual genuine understanding. That's a powerful thought to end on. So there you have it, folks. Evangelical diplomacy. Surprising, messy, and full of what ifs. Hopefully this deep dive got you thinking about all the forces at play on the world stage, and how faith in all its forms, well, it can really shake things up. Thanks for joining us for another deep dive. We'll see you next time.