ABSTRACT: Since coming to office in 2001, the Bush administration has pursued a
foreign policy promoting a “distinct American internationalism” that manifests itself in
the unilateral and preemptive use of force and in attempts to spread democracy, freedom,
and free market principles around the globe, frequently justifying taking action on behalf
of the “good” against the “evil.” In this article, we argue that much of the legitimation
for contemporary American foreign policy can be found in the president’s strong
religious convictions. After a brief discussion of the relationship between religion and
politics in American history, the article examines President Bush’s religious beliefs more
closely in the context of post-9/11 American foreign policy with particular focus on the
war against Iraq. The analysis reveals that religion plays such a pivotal role in the
president’s decision-making that the administration’s foreign policy resembles a
contemporary version of an American international manifest destiny that has moved the
prospects for a true democratic peace into an uncertain future.
Convention