While Western liberalism has historical roots in Christian thought, the decline of the religion presents a new political danger. The emerging "post-Christian right" may be more threatening than the traditional Christian right because it lacks the established moral frameworks and institutional checks that previously tempered its political expression.

Rational analysis is insufficient for understanding the Middle East. A powerful minority of 'Christian Zionists' in the US believe they must accelerate a divine plan, including rebuilding the Third Temple in Jerusalem, to trigger Jesus's return. This religious script actively shapes foreign policy.

A country's power on the world stage is not just military or economic might, but its belief in its own value system. When a nation ceases to indoctrinate its next generation with these values and loses the will to defend them, it cedes global influence to other powers with stronger ideological conviction.

The only historically effective method to resolve deep-rooted religious and ideological conflicts is to shift focus toward shared economic prosperity. Alliances like the Abraham Accords create tangible incentives for peace that ideology alone cannot, by making life demonstrably better for citizens.

In the 1830s, Tocqueville identified America not just as a country but as a powerful idea that, like a religion, inspires global converts. The current questioning of American leadership and values represents a profound loss of faith in this foundational concept, not just typical political turmoil.

The foundation of 80 years of global prosperity under Western influence wasn't just capitalism, but a core belief: since truth is advantageous but hard to find, society must protect individual sovereignty and free inquiry. This allows for innovation and progress by letting people be free to explore and even be wrong.

The US expects sanctions and military threats to force negotiation based on economic self-interest. However, nations like Iran, driven by theological and ideological principles, often prioritize perceived long-term divine victory over short-term economic hardship, rendering typical US leverage ineffective.

Richardson traces a long American strand, from the Second Great Awakening, that ordinary people have a hotline to God and therefore superior ideas to Harvard-trained experts. She says putting such people at the highest levels of government overlaps with Trump's fascist ideas about some people being better than others.

The current era of fracturing alliances and trade wars is not just about economics; it's the tangible result of declining trust between nations. This erosion of trust is the root cause of the instability we're experiencing, leading to suspicion, uneasy alliances, and conflict.