By Way of Proxy: Iran's Future War against the United States in Latin America

Abstract

Continued focus by the US on the Middle East since 2001 has come at the expense of Latin America. Partners in Latin America are frustrated by the low prioritization of the region and they are turning to those who will listen to them, particularly Iran. Iran's influence in Latin America is growing at the same time that American influence is waning and anti-American sentiment is growing. Compounding things, Iranian sponsored transnational terrorist group Hezbollah has established itself throughout Latin America. This combination of factors poses a threat to American interests and the stability of the region. Iran's cultural, diplomatic, economic and military penetration of Latin America demonstrates a rational, sequential process that places Iran in a favorable position to provoke US military involvement. In the past the US has intervened in Latin American affairs when its interests have been threatened. Therefore, it is plausible that Iran, by proxy, could incite US military involvement in Latin America in order to draw American attention and resources away from the Middle East.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 08, 2016
Accession Number
AD1178776

Entities

People

  • Adolfo U. Gorbea

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Civil War
  • Criminals
  • Drug Trafficking
  • Foreign Policy
  • Foreign Relations
  • Governments
  • Hispanics
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Relations
  • Law
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Terrorists
  • Treaties
  • United States
  • United States Southern Command
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • International Relations, focusing on Korea-Africa and North Korea-South Korea relations, and Nigeria-Latin American Relations.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.