The aim of the proposed paper is to explore avenues to integrate religion in foreign policy analysis (FPA). Despite the growing scholarship on religion and politics/international relations nexus, in parallel with constant calls for integrative approaches in FPA, the latter’s interest in the “resurgence of religion” theme has been limited. In this vein, the emergence and demise of an Islamist government in Egypt provides a stimulating terrain for inquiring on religious-based worldviews and foreign policy-making. For instance, commentators and politicians accounted for changes in Cairo’s stance regarding developments in Syria in confessional or religious terms. The challenge, nevertheless, lies in apprehending such a factor, among others- without essentializing it. Based on interviews, discourse analysis, and an examination of domestic politics and regional dynamics, this paper will seek to unravel how religious worldviews may inform (or misinform) us about Egypt’s foreign policy shifts towards Syria’s conflict between 2012 and 2013.
