The full meaning of the recent war in the Caucasus was captured in a sad video of Armenians gathered outside an old mountain church to sing one last hymn before going into exile. This small Christian nation’s humiliation at the hands of Azerbaijan and Turkey, two American allies, reveals the limits of US power and the need for a new strategy to aid Mideast Christians.
Once a majority, Christians find themselves stranded on shrinking demographic islands in Muslim-majority states that can’t, and sometimes won’t, protect them. The old advocacy model, the Western crusade, is obsolete and was never very effective anyway. Our new model — human-rights lobbying — is even less successful. The story usually goes like this: A Christian population comes under attack, advocacy groups demand action from politicians, and politicians, though paying lip service to American values, ignore their request for fear of appearing biased or annoying local despots. There is a reason in their rhyme: The United States isn’t, in fact, a Christian state, yet we advocates continue our work unhindered, year after year, hoping for a different result. Meanwhile, the Christian archipelago continues its slow slide into the sea of Muslim conquest. It is worth noting that President Trump has done more for religious minorities than any president in history. Yet at no point during six weeks of war did he try to stop Azerbaijan and Turkey, let alone come to the aid of Armenians. His reasoning was simple:
Foreign policy is about interests, and relations with powerful majorities will always trump the rights of weak minorities. Our advocacy fails because it chases government action that never materialized.
About The Author
Harrison Okafor
editor
Judith is a believer, a lover of Christ and a Gospel freak person. A passionate gospel blogger and press writer. I work with GospelHitsNaija.net Media, no 1 Gospel music platform.
