Newsletter Issue 38

Iranian Operations in Latin America: Nicaragua

more (pdf) by Johny Woodward - Western Democracies view Iran as a pariah state, a threat to the accepted balance of international security. As the west moves to isolate the Islamic Republic, Iran has acquired a string of allies in strategic locations around the world. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has visited several Latin America countries and started the groundwork for a loose alliance in the backyard of the United States. Little has changed in Iran’s long-term foreign policy objectives since the 1979 revolution, and, other events, such as the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, may have shortened Iran’s time-line for achieving its goals.

With Ahmadinejad at the helm, Iran seeks the respect and prestige that the Persian Empire once commanded in the ancient world. This objective requires that Iran work toward a position of hegemony in the Middle East, which, in the mind of its President, may require the acquisition of nuclear weapons. Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, Iran must outflank the primary barrier to its goals. The U.S. is currently preoccupied with Iraq but maintains the goal of thwarting the Islamic Republic’s ambitions. This may intensify Iran’s operations throughout the world, particularly in Latin America, where the U.S. once enforced the Monroe Doctrine, though it primarily applied to European powers.

The views expressed in the analysis do not necessarily reflect those of ISRIA which does not advocate any specific opinion.

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