Expert’s view on Iran’s export revolution to Latin America

Sofey Saidi, PhD, on Tehran’s efforts to “export revolution” in Latin America
Iran’s increasing involvement in South American and Central American countries has worried some observers who fear that the country may be “exporting” fundamentalist religion in these regions.

The 1979 Iranian Revolution was, according to many analysts, the birth of modern Islamic fundamentalism, an ideology (or series of interrelated ideologies) which has generated one of the most profound ideological crises of the 21st century so far.

The fact that many ISIL recruits are not from Muslim families and come from a wide variety of backgrounds suggests that radicalization transgresses religious barriers and may be driven by such forces as social ostracization, poverty, and issues of identity. The political instability, social issues, and economic woes of many Latin American countries today, therefore, present a worrying open door through which religious fundamentalism may enter.

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What is the ideological reasoning behind Iran’s attempt to export “Islamic revolution” in South America? What does Iran stand to gain by doing this?

A: Since 1979, the theocracy in Iran has conducted a deliberate foreign policy of penetration and influence in Central and South America under the banner of “export of revolution”. Iran’s two-pronged approach has been to actively affect influence and gain power via Hezbollah in the Middle East and through the Assad clan in Syria, and in the Latin American region via direct and indirect proxies. Read Article