“God wants me to be president”: The role of the Bible Belt in the policy against terror during the George W. Bush governments

Abstract

This article seeks to identify aspects of the relation between religion and foreign policy in the United States. It is believed that this relation is decisive for understanding the international politics of George W Bush's government (2001-2009). It happens due to the biblical weight of the Bible Belt. This region comprises predominantly conservative and Christian southernmost area of the United States. In this way, we affirm that religion is decisive in the American political context. Thus, the "biblical belt" also exerts influence in foreign policy, legitimizing through discourse part of the American positions in the international scene and in the structures of global governance (2001-2009).

Keywords

• Cinturão bíblico
• política externa
• conservadorismo religioso
• partido Republicano