CLASSIFICATION: Ideological Audit / Geopolitical Analysis

By Andrew Klein PhD

Executive Summary

This investigation exposes the modern machinery of resource conquest, which has evolved from outright colonial claims to a sophisticated model of ideological warfare. At its core is a potent convergence: the neoliberal imperative for total resource extraction and the revival of religious conflict as a tool of statecraft. We trace how the United States, in partnership with media empires and aligned religious institutions, systematically demonizes peoples and faiths—particularly Muslims—to legitimize intervention in resource-rich regions. This is not a clash of civilizations, but a calculated strategy of economic control, where the language of holy war provides moral cover for perpetual resource wars that enrich a global elite.

I. From Holy Lands to Resource Lands: The Evolution of the Casus Belli

Historically, wars were fought under the banner of faith for territory and souls. The modern era secularized conflict into ideologies (Communism vs. the “Free World”). Today, we witness a deliberate re-sacralization of conflict, but with a neoliberal economic endgame.

· The “Islamist” Construct: The term “Islamist,” popularized in the 1970s-80s, served as a direct successor to “Communist” in the U.S. security lexicon. It transformed diverse political movements across the Muslim world into a monolithic, existential threat. As noted by scholar AbdoolKarim Vakil, this framing deliberately collapses theological, social, and political dissent into a singular security problem, enabling a boundless “War on Terror” that follows resources, not terrorists.

· The Resource Map Overlays the “Conflict” Map: From the oil-rich Persian Gulf (Iraq, Iran) to the strategic energy corridors of North Africa (Libya) and the mineral-rich Sahel (Mali, Niger), U.S. military and political interventions consistently target regions of critical resource wealth. The religious or political ideology of the target state is merely the variable narrative applied to a constant strategic objective.

II. The Media Machinery: Amplifying the Threat, Sanitizing the Motive

The demonization process is industrialized by media conglomerates that function as amplifiers for the security state and its economic objectives.

· The Murdoch-Fox Nexus: Fox News and allied outlets (Sky News Australia, The New York Post) do not merely report on conflict; they actively construct a Manichean worldview. Analysis by media scholars like David Miller shows how these outlets consistently frame Muslim-majority nations or leaders challenging U.S. hegemony (Iran, Venezuela under Chávez) as irrational, threatening, and anti-Christian. This creates a permission structure for aggression among their audiences.

· Selective Empathy & The Worthy Victim: This machinery exhibits stark selectivity. Atrocities committed by allies (e.g., Saudi Arabia in Yemen) are minimized, while those by adversaries are amplified. Women’s rights become a passionate cause only when discussing Iran, not Saudi Arabia or Kuwait. This hypocrisy reveals the narrative as instrumental, not principled.

III. The Theological-Political Convergence: Christian Zionism & The End-Times Market

The most potent fusion of faith and foreign policy is found in the Evangelical-Christian Zionist alliance, which provides a theological engine for neoliberal militarism.

· Doctrine as Policy: For millions of American Evangelicals, support for the modern state of Israel is a biblical imperative tied to End-Times prophecy. This theology, promoted by powerful figures like Pastor John Hagee (Christians United for Israel) and broadcast globally, makes uncritical support for Israeli government policy a non-negotiable article of faith. In turn, this aligns seamlessly with the U.S.-Israeli strategic objective of neutralizing regional rivals, particularly Iran.

· From the Pulpit to the Polling Booth: This is not a passive belief. It drives voter behavior, lobbying, and direct pressure on U.S. politicians. The result is a bipartisan U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East that often appears more responsive to End-Times theology and alliance politics than to international law or human rights, guaranteeing a state of perpetual conflict conducive to arms sales and resource “security” operations.

IV. The Neoliberal Endgame: Total Extraction as Divine Will

The constant state of conflict and demonization serves a clear economic function: the financialization and extraction of all value.

· The Forever War Economy: As outlined in our previous audit, perpetual conflict is profitable. It justifies immense defense budgets, enriches private contractors, and keeps global energy markets on a U.S.-dollar standard. Instability in resource-rich regions can suppress competition and allow Western capital to secure assets on favorable terms during crises or regime changes.

· Faith Leaders as Unwitting Chaplains: When mainstream religious leaders, such as the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, parrot lines about “religious freedom” that align solely with Western geopolitical narratives—while remaining silent on the persecution of Muslims in China or India—they perform a vital function. They lend a veneer of ecumenical moral authority to what is, in essence, a theologically-tinged resource grab. They sanctify the market’s conquest.

V. Conclusion: The Cycle is the Product

The pattern is self-reinforcing:

1. Identify a Resource-Rich Region outside direct Western control (e.g., the Middle East, parts of Africa, Venezuela).

2. Demonize its Governance using a tailored narrative (Islamist, rogue state, terrorist-sponsor).

3. Amplify the Threat through aligned media and religious networks, framing intervention as a moral or civilizational duty.

4. Apply Economic and Military Pressure (sanctions, support for opposition, direct action) to destabilize.

5. Justify the resulting chaos and extraction as necessary for “security” or “freedom,” enriching the war and resource industries.

The goal is not to win a war, but to manage perpetual tension that keeps the target weak, the public afraid, and the resources flowing into the correct hands. Religion is the oldest and most potent fuel for this engine. We are not witnessing a return to the Crusades, but the deployment of Crusader rhetoric in service of a totally modern, utterly materialistic goal: the neoliberal extraction of every last ounce of value from the planet and its people.

REFERENCES

Academic & Historical Analysis:

· Vakil, AbdoolKarim. “Is the Islam in Islamism the Same as the Islam in Islamic Art?”: An analysis of the political construction of the term “Islamist.”

· Said, Edward. Orientalism. The foundational text on Western construction of the “Islamic world.”

· Bacevich, Andrew. The New American Militarism: How Americans Are Seduced by War. Examines the confluence of evangelical fervor and foreign policy.

· Klein, Naomi. The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. The manual on using crisis for neoliberal extraction.

Media & Discourse Analysis:

· Miller, David. Propaganda and the Public Mind. Analyses the role of media in manufacturing consent for war.

· FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting). Archives documenting skewed coverage of Iran, Venezuela, and the Middle East.

· The New York Times, The Washington Post. Archives for comparative analysis of coverage of Saudi Arabia vs. Iran on human rights.

Geopolitical & Economic Data:

· U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) country profiles.

· World Bank data on resource dependence.

· SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) arms transfer databases.

Theological-Political Actors:

· Hagee, John. Sermons and publications from Christians United for Israel (CUFI).

· S. Department of State. International Religious Freedom Reports. For analysis of selective emphasis.

For Ongoing Audit:

1. Track the speaking fees and donations to U.S. politicians from Evangelical ministries and pro-Israel lobbying groups.

2. Map the corporate board positions of major media conglomerate owners alongside their investments in defense and energy.

3. Conduct a discourse analysis of statements from mainstream interfaith leaders in Australia, the US, and UK during crises in resource-rich Muslim-majority nations.