Iranian Proxy Groups in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen: A Principal-Agent Comparative Analysis

Abstract

The regional hegemonic aspirations of the Islamic Republic of Iran (hereafter labeled Iran) are changing the balance of power across the Middle East, especially in gray zone conflicts - "activities by a state that are harmful to another state and are sometimes considered to be acts of war, but are not legally acts of war." Despite U.S.-led sanctions, recent regional trends have favored Iran, posing a significant threat to U.S. interests. Using proxy groups, Irans leaders in Tehran actively seek to keep regional conflicts in the gray zone thereby prolonging hostilities and giving Tehran the strategic advantage by making itself indispensable to subnational actors vying for local power and influence. While proxy-based strategies provide many benefits, they are also fraught with strategic pitfalls that can be exploited if proxy dynamics and local political conditions are well understood by adversaries.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2020
Accession Number
AD1146327

Entities

People

  • David C. Ellis
  • Diane M. Zorri
  • Houman A. Sadri

Organizations

  • Joint Special Operations University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Civil War
  • Ethnic Groups
  • Foreign Relations
  • Gray Zone
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • Military Science
  • Minority Groups
  • National Governments
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Recreation
  • Sociopolitics
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Economics
  • Educational Psychology
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.