Venezuelistan: Irans Latin American Ambitions

April 2010

Past Event

Venezuelistan: Irans Latin American Ambitions

Past Event

Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C. Headquarters

April 15, 2010

April 2010

Past Event

1015 15th Street, N.W., 6th Floor
Washington, DC 20005

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Speakers:

Jaime Daremblum,

Hudson Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Latin American Studies

Boris Saavedra,

Assistant Professor of National Security Affairs, Center of Hemispheric Defense Studies (CHDS), National Defense University and Liaison officer between CHDS and the Inter-American Defense College (IADC).

Alberto Bolívar,

Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Center on Terrorism, Counter-Terrorism, and Homeland Security at the Foreign Policy Research Institute

Manochehr Dorraj,

Professor of Political Science at Texas Christian University

Iran’s growing encroachment in Latin America continues to worry those who care about strengthening democracy and human rights in the region. Iran has progressively solidified ties with states such as Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Ecuador, all of which have expressed antipathy towards U.S. interests and liberal democratic policies. More recently, Iran has also engaged with Brazil, Latin America’s leading power and the world’s eighth largest economy.

A number of U.S. officials have warned about the growing influence of Iran in Latin America, with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warning in December that it would be “a really bad idea” for Latin American countries to embrace Iran and its theocratic regime. Hudson Institute held a panel discussion to discuss the ramifications for democracy in Latin America.

Further Reading

Jamie Daremblum, La inquietante presencia irani, Hudson Institute, April 13, 2010

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