FULL FILM: Praying for Armageddon. US foreign policy in Middle East is influenced by evangelicals

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: This post, along with yesterday's at Sudan Watch, is the most important one since the site began 21 years ago.

In 2003, I used blogging technology to investigate the root causes of poverty and extreme poverty in Sudan and the reasons for genocide and man’s inhumanity to man. The two posts now answer those questions for me.

The magnitude of those posts cannot be fully appreciated unless the email and the letter of 24 April 2024 featured in yesterday's post are seen together with the documentary film Praying for Armageddon.

As most readers of Sudan Watch are located across the world, I doubt many can access BBC iPlayer where one has to sign in as a BBC Licence fee payer, I am grateful to Al Jazeera English for posting the full film (see below) in two parts (totalling 88 mins) to YouTube for free viewing and comments.

More on this later when I've been able to identify more pieces of the puzzle. Meanwhile, with respect to American evangelical fundamentalists and the US Government their praying for Armageddon started many years ago.

Poster: Courtesy UpNorth Film

"The poster is a literal presentation of what some of the Evangelical fundamentalists believe, that Jesus will return as a warrior with an AR-15. As they interpret the Armageddon prophecy literally they believe Jesus will come down from the heavens on a white horse. This symbolizes the beginning of Armageddon." -Tonje Hessen Schei, the director of the film

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OFFICIAL TRAILER: Praying for Armageddon 
A documentary film by UpNorth Film
Posted to YouTube by UpNorth Film 
Premiered on 15 March 2023 

Description of Official Trailer posted by UpNorth Film at its website:

The Countdown to Armageddon has begun. As biblical prophecy fuels political power, American Evangelicals threaten U.S. democracy and push for the Apocalypse in the Middle East. Praying for Armageddon uncovers how politicians driven by faith embrace Israel as the key to their prophetic vision for the end of days – at any cost – ultimately escalating the spirals of violence in the Middle East.

Director Tonje Hessen Schei; Co-Director and DOP Michael Rowley; Producer Christian Aune Falch; Producer Torstein Parelius; Producer Ingrid Aune Falch; Editor Torkel Gjørv; Composer Lukas Berkemar, Uno Helmersson; Co-Producer Ove Rishøj Jensen; Co-Producer Magnus Gertten; Co-Producer Hans Robert Eisenhauer; Co-Producer Kaarle Aho.

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Credits posted at YouTube by Al Jazeera English:

World premiere at CPH:DOX 2023 in competition for the F:ACT Award.

www.prayingforarmageddon.com

www.facebook.com/prayingforarmageddon

www.upnorthfilm.no

SUPPORTED BY CREATIVE MEDIA EUROPE

Transcript

Follow along using the transcript at YouTube here: https://youtu.be/75ehG6utzBM

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FULL FILM: Praying for Armageddon (Part 1 of 2)

A documentary film by Tonje Hessen Schei UpNorth Film

Posted to YouTube by Al Jazeera English 1 month ago [April 2024] 

Description by Al Jazeera English posted beneath the film:

Why evangelicals influence US foreign policy in the Middle East | EP1 | Witness Documentary

The first episode of Praying for Armageddon goes inside the evangelical Christian movement to explore its influence on US democracy and foreign policy.

Preparing for the "end times", a grassroots pastor gathers an army of veterans in the heartland of the United States, and megachurch ministers provide spiritual advice to politicians in the nation’s capital.

They call for the "final battle" which they believe will trigger the second coming of Christ. Central to their apocalyptic prophecy is Israel. It is with their blessing that the Trump administration controversially recognises Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moves the US embassy there in 2018.

“It feels like everyone has a say about the destiny and the future of Jerusalem except for the Palestinians living in it,” says Palestinian activist Fayrouz Sharqawi.

Transcript

Follow along using the transcript at YouTube here: https://youtu.be/IhT7oyDlBIk

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FULL FILM: Praying for Armageddon (Part 2 of 2)

A documentary film by Tonje Hessen Schei UpNorth Film

Posted to YouTube by Al Jazeera English 21 March 2024

Description by Al Jazeera English posted beneath the film:

How evangelicals influence US foreign policy in the Middle East | EP2 | Witness Documentary

The second episode of Praying for Armageddon examines the dangerous consequences of the fusion between evangelical Christians and US politics.

It shows not only how the very fabric of US democracy is weakened but also highlights the devastating impact religion wields on US foreign policy.

Expressing concerns about the influence of evangelical Christians in the US military, retired US Army Colonel Larry Wilkerson who was a former adviser to General Colin Powell, says: “The most vivid danger in all of this, I think, is the special relationship with Israel… They are looking for the US relationship with Israel, ultimately to bring about Armageddon and the rapture and Christ’s thousand-year reign.”

As evangelicals fuel the volatile situation in the Middle East, Israel launches a devastating 11-day military offensive on Gaza in May 2021.

“The countdown to Armageddon has begun,” says Pastor Robert Jeffress.

Transcript

Follow along using the transcript at YouTube here: https://youtu.be/_iQhbcOgfqw

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A letter from US Republican Senators directly threatening the ICC Prosecutor: “You have been warned” “Target Israel and we will target you”

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: Two posts at X copied here below shocked me to my core. I hope they are fake. If they are real, they show the mindset and arrogance of many US politicians and why America is so disliked.

On BBC FOUR iPlayer a documentary film series Storyville is introduced as “amazing, shocking, inspiring and award-winning - the best in international documentaries, shining a light on untold stories from across the globe.” 

One of the films in the series is called Praying for Armageddon. I watched it yesterday, all 88 minutes of it. A description posted beneath the film says:

“Praying for Armageddon is a political thriller that explores the power and influence of American Evangelical Christians as they aim to fulfil the Armageddon prophecy.

The film observes American believers as they prepare for what they call The Holy War and exposes the powerful megachurch pastors who call for the 'final battle' that they believe will trigger the Second Coming of Christ. 

Completed before the current crisis in Israel and Gaza, it also unveils how politicians driven by faith embrace the State of Israel as the key to their prophetic vision for the end of days.” 

I say, it is a must-see and an eye opener into the mentality and attitudes of many Americans including politicians in Washington and ex-POTUS Trump. 

After watching the film, I thought about the two posts mentioned above. Here are the copies. Hopefully, readers can magnify the text to read the content well enough and get a feel of the tone and its sense of entitlement. 

The posts and film are good examples of how the US even after 9/11 can't see itself the way the world sees it. I can't be the only person astonished at the high level of aggressiveness and superiority and the fact that the letter and email are in print for everyone to see. The USA is not even in the Bible.

Same mafia wrote this.#FreeAssange#NewChurchCommitteeOnAssangeCase #EndTheGenocide#SanctionUSA pic.twitter.com/nx7BFthsiY

— jenmarya55 now on Bluesky (@jenmarya55) May 6, 2024 

Source: Dr Lens Veritatis @LensVeritatis post at X 3:13 PM · May 6, 2024

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South Sudan corruption: ‘South Sudanese have not benefited from oil revenues’-EU Ambassador

"South Sudan is a textbook example of a resource curse, where the profits from oil have not benefited the people at large and they have been largely wasted and misused. Tragically, many of the renewable and sustainable resources the country has on the other hand have been neglected over the past decades. I am thinking particularly of the agricultural potential and the amazing biodiversity of the country.” -EU Amb. Olkkonen. Read more.

From Radio Tamazuj JUBA CITY
Dated Friday, 10 May 2024 - here is a full copy:

‘South Sudanese have not benefited from oil revenues’-EU Ambassador

Ambassador Timo Olkkonen, the Head of the Delegation of the European Union to South Sudan speaking at a function to mark European Day at Notos Restaurant in Juba. (Photo: Radio Tamazuj)

The Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of South Sudan on Thursday said the people of South Sudan have not benefited from the proceeds from crude oil which is the country’s largest export.

Ambassador Timo Olkkonen who is the Head of the Delegation of the European Union to South Sudan was speaking in Juba at a ceremony to mark European Day and qualified South Sudan as a textbook example of a resource curse.

He said fossil-based technology is old fashioned as modern and more environmentally friendly ways to produce energy exist, and that if left unaddressed, continued fossil fuel usage will possibly contribute to our extinction as a species with climate change taking effect.

“That is not to say that we should not appreciate the role of oil in South Sudan. You would be blind not to understand its importance. But South Sudan is a textbook example of a resource curse, where the profits from oil have not benefited the people at large and they have been largely wasted and misused,” Amb. Olkkonen stated. “Tragically, many of the renewable and sustainable resources the country has on the other hand have been neglected over the past decades. I am thinking particularly of the agricultural potential and the amazing biodiversity of the country.”

He added: “It is said that every crisis is an opportunity, so perhaps the recent issues with oil exports could redirect focus on these other cleaner engines of economic growth and you cannot argue that the potential is not there.”

The EU envoy said they recently joined several members of the international community in calling on the government not to tax aid and welcomed South Sudan’s removal of taxes on humanitarian aid and exemption of UN agencies from taxes.

“I welcome the fact that the government has confirmed that this indeed is not the intention and I cannot emphasize enough but what matters is implementation,” Olkkonen said. “Anything short of that would be a disaster for the people of South Sudan and cause reputational damage to the country itself.”

On the peace process, the envoy said the enthusiasm for the conduct of general elections in South Sudan has subsided as parties to the agreement have missed key timelines during the implementation of the peace accord.

“I was enthusiastic about the prospect of engaging in and supporting the preparations for elections and a new constitution. We have been supporting those processes politically and also through our development cooperation. Indeed a new project on electoral support was launched last August,” Amb. Olkkonen said. “I have to confess however that that enthusiasm has since subsided. Over the past year, we witnessed deadline after deadline of the Peace agreement’s Roadmap being missed. A month ago, we read the assessment of the UN Secretary General of the level of preparedness of the country to hold elections concluding that the parties must commit to taking urgent steps to achieve a critical mass of implementation necessary for the peaceful conduct of free, fair, and credible elections.”

He said despite disappointments, he still thinks the prospects of a first permanent constitution and the first elections of an independent country are of the kind that should evoke patriotism and enthusiasm.

“We hope that the ongoing processes like the UNMISS-supported interparty dialogue or the Kenyan mediation efforts will very soon bear fruits in this regard and that the stakeholders come together to forge a consensus” Olkkonen stated.

For his part, South Sudan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ambassador Monday Suraya Kumba said the country is satisfied with the bilateral ties between the EU and its member states in many developmental and economic sectors.

“We are also looking forward to engaging with the European Union and member states in other areas such development of the mineral sector, development of agriculture sector, development of the industrial sector, capacity building and climate change among others,” he said. “I would like to reassure you of our commitment as a government to continue meeting the needs of our people, to continue engaging different partners to the upcoming engagement political economic engagement in the country which includes the upcoming elections.”

“We are looking forward to working closely with the EU to gain support to achieve this overall objective,” Amb. Kumba added.

View original: https://radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/south-sudanese-have-not-benefited-from-oil-revenues-eu-ambassador

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Further reading

UK Foreign Office's 'no travel' list with 24 countries UK tourists urged to avoid

Daily Record, James Rodger & Nicola Roy, Fri, 10 May 2024, 3:26 pm BST.

Birmingham Live reports that the UK Gov Foreign Office is currently advising against travel, or all but essential travel, to 24 destinations on the 'black list': Afghanistan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, and Niger, North Korea, Palestinian territories, Russia, Somalia, Somaliland, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela, Yemen.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/foreign-offices-no-travel-list-142602539.html

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Corruption is driving force behind Sudanese atrocities -George Clooney & John Prendergast of The Sentry

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: In an audio conversation conducted by BBC Newsday presenter James Copnall with US peace activists George Clooney and John Prendergast, James was told about those profiting from conflict in South Sudan and that corruption is the driving force behind the atrocities in South Sudan. In my view, it could also apply to Sudan. 

Here is a transcript I made from the audio originally released 20 Sep 2019. An undated copy was published at BBC Sounds online two days ago. Much of it applies to the situation today. Apologies if I mistakingly attributed any parts. The American accents were so similar I had to guess who said what. 

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From: BBC World Service Newsday

Release date 20 September 2019

Re-released two days ago, circa 09 May 2024 - here is a full copy:

George Clooney tells Newsday about those profiting from conflict in South Sudan

The corrupt financial transactions between some government officials and foreign companies should be targeted as the most effective way to curb the violence in South Sudan. 

This is the conclusion of research by The Sentry, an advocacy and investigation organisation based in the United States, which names individuals and businesses - including foreign state-owned oil companies - which it says have plundered the resources of the country for personal gain. 

Newsday's James Copnall spoke to George Clooney - the film star who co-founded The Sentry - and the organisations director John Prendergast.

Photo: George Clooney (R) and John Prendergast. Credit: Getty Images

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Transcript

JOHN PRENDERGAST: These war profiteers, these people who profit from human misery are extremely vulnerable in one way. They use the international financial system to move the proceeds of their financial crimes. When they do that in US dollars, and they do it in pounds, and they do it in euros, they become subject to the regulatory authorities and the banking systems, any money laundering efforts and we can work directly with governments and with banks to close those avenues, illicit financial flows off, and actually freeze and seize those assets so that it creates a real consequence, a real level of accountability for these kinds of crimes.

BBC: George, your activism has been around South Sudan and other issues too for many issues for many years was there something in particular that surprised you here?

GEORGE CLOONEY: Well, what’s an interesting thing, we’ve gone through a series of different versions of how we try to go after and stop these atrocities. We’ve tried putting satellite up in the air, we’ve tried, we’ve tried a lot of different things. Sometimes we’ve been successful, ultimately we’ve failed clearly because there’s an awful lot of violence that still goes on there. What became clear was that once we realised that we put on the front page of newspaper “troop build ups and mass graves” and nothing happened that they thought they could act with impunity [BBC: they could, couldn’t they? GC: they could and they have] but what’s also clear is if you sit down with a bank and you say well tomorrow I am going to hold a press conference that says you are laundering one hundred million dollars and I’m going to announce tomorrow that either you are doing something about it or not or you are complicit, it’s amazing how quickly they say you know what we don’t need to be in the business anymore of South Sudan.

JOHN PRENDERGAST: The whole system has been established in South Sudan to loot and if you can start to create a consequence for looting, you’re going to make a difference, you’re going to start to impact the calculations of folks that are making decisions about how they are going to run South Sudan.

BBC: [unclear] from Kenya, from Uganda, countries in the region, sometimes where the money goes, sometimes who may disagree with the conclusions you’re coming up with?

JOHN PRENDERGAST: So this is a really important point because the politicians left to their own devices in those neighbouring countries with business as usual. But Kenyans want the Kenyan banking sector to be the financial one-stop shopping for the entire region so they have to open themselves up to the international regulatory authorities, there is something called the Financial Action Task Force, we’ll put everybody to sleep if we talk about it, but the Kenyans are terrified if they get a bad grade from the Financial Action Task Force their whole banking sector is going to suffer. So suddenly they are like, okay yeah maybe we are in business with, some of our politicians are in league with these folks who are stealing from South Sudan but our entire future financial sector is at risk if we keep doing business. That’s a very significant counterweight and it gives us a chance to do something real.

BBC: Is it your contention that in the current situation people really shouldn’t be doing business in South Sudan at all because people will be saying this country needs people coming in?

JOHN PRENDERGAST: We want to encourage foreign investment, we want to encourage private sector development in South Sudan but if you talk to South Sudanese businessmen who aren’t on the take, if you talk to investors who want to do it clean they have no chance because the folks who are bringing suitcases full of money and putting it under the table and are hijacking these particular processes there’s no transparency.

BBC: [unclear] you cut out the financial dodgy dealing a big if ... there are still a lot of problems in South Sudan, ethnic tensions, political competition, this is a small part of a very big pond.

GEORGE CLOONEY: Except that the amount of money that’s coming in from and the kind of corruption, corruption is the driving force for these atrocities, you take away that giant piece of the puzzle and suddenly you know Salva Kiir doesn’t really have the same incentives and probably loses power. 

BBC: Even in the context where soldiers aren’t getting paid, when the economy has been bled dry already?

JOHN PRENDERGAST: Why are they not getting paid? Why is the economy being bled dry? Because of mass corruption. This is the cancer that eats away at the effectiveness, the potential effectiveness of the state. If you do not address it, which it has not been addressed, and then try to do things about everything else there is still this massive hole at the centre. And I think this is our argument. It is not a small thing, it’s not just a, it has repercussions for all these other things that makes everything else worse because the state has been captured and when you have a captured state and the objective of that state is to enrich the leaders of that, everything else that you are trying to do, supporting foreign investment, development, infrastructure, even child nutrition, even education, is being obstructed and undermined by the cancer of corruption.

BBC: So this is a conversation being carried out about international businessmen, about banking systems internationally, what about the South Sudanese guys sitting in a village in [unclear] listening to this on the radio, watching this on TV in Juba, what can they do in your view to change the system there?

JOHN PRENDERGAST: Well, you’ve seen a great deal of opposition to the system in the form of, sadly, in the form of armed rebellion, in the form of development of militias whether they are defending their own territory or attacking wanting to change the system. Sudan right to the north has created this incredible model where hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people kept demonstrating and kept marching in support of democracy and in support of peace despite tremendous repression and violence, state violence, against them. I feel like that the next wave in South Sudan in terms of people who are trying to make a difference because now if you try to make a difference if you try to challenge the system you’ll be killed or imprisoned. It’s a scary thing, people have to make choices. If you are going to take on the system you and your family will probably face severe repercussions but once the numbers get large and you start to see change as we’ve seen in Sudan and seen in other parts of Africa we may see a difference. I think that’s probably mass protest against war, against corruption, against dictatorship, is probably the thing that will make the biggest difference, it’s the people themselves that have got to take the reins and make the change.

BBC: You know what the South Sudanese government is going to say, don’t you, they’re going say, you going after us it’s regime change, western prominent personalities maybe backed by governments trying to bring us down, what do you say to that?

GEORGE CLOONEY:  If you think about what we’re saying is we think we should stop corruption. If the answer by the South Sudan government is you want regime change then you are saying that you are corrupt. That’s basically what you are saying. We’re not saying that, we are saying that we should stop corruption. 

Listen to the conversation here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p07ntymp

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