Many observers of U.S. American politics see the Christian Right as an influential actor
under the Bush administration. Whereas many publications concentrate on domestic
politics and on the role of the Christian Right in elections, less has been written about
the influence of the Christian Right on foreign policy. The mere concentration on the
President and his religious belief to identify the influence of the Christian Right on
American foreign policy – as often done in newspapers – doesn’t meet the realities of
foreign policy decision-making in the United States, because Congress is also an
important player in foreign policy.
Therefore, this paper concentrates on two questions:
- What foreign policy topics are important to the organizations of the so called
Christian Right?
- Which members of Congress can be identified as supporters of the Christian
Right agenda?
After answering this two questions, the influence of the Christian Right is exemplified
by showing the positions of the Christian Rights towards the United States Leadership
Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003 and by examining which
modifications of this Act have been reached by the lobbying of the Christian Right
towards members of Congress.