Presentation
Transcription
Presentation
Capacity to influence? Treatment of dissent Reliance on military & revolutionary militias/ guards to intimidate opposition Iran provides public opinion experts to assist Chavez “Ahmadinejad is love’ “Chavez is love” • • • Use of elections to secure/maintain legitimacy Elections controlled Change implied in elections unacceptable to leaders of both countries Counter efforts to isolate Access to technology Petroleum Military Opposition to the United States Dislike of secular consumer culture Chavez: seven visits to Tehran since 2004 Thirty cooperative agreements Truck factory Ammunition factory Cement plant Weekly flight Caracas – Damascus – Tehran Venezuela expresses support for Iran’s right to develop nuclear energy Purchase of Corp Banca C.A (May 2008) Paperwork processed in record time Iranian Board of Directors Circumvents embargo – allows Iran to move money around USA Iran – Venezuela Development Bank April 2009 Capital begins $200 million to $1.2 Billion Capital projects (possibly uranium mining) Iranian military advisors embedded with selected Army units since 2006 Iranian advisors from Revolutionary Guards assist in organizing popular militias and Francisco Miranda Front Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammed Najjar met with Venezuelan Vice President Ramon Carrizalez, (also acting defense minister) in March 2009 Alain Joxe: “La Guerra USA-Iraq: Imperio, guerra asimetrica y caos global Army field manuals from period of USA cooperation burned Asymmetric warfare adopted as official doctrine of Venezuelan military Iranian military manuals discussing asymmetric warfare appear in Venezuela Colombian Army raid on camp of Raul Reyes (May 2008)08 Iranian field manuals $480,000 cash in Costa Rican safe house traced to Iran Low grade uranium buried (30 kilos) What is Iran’s capability to influence conditions/events in Latin America that impact on U.S. ? How concerned should the U.S. be with Iranian activities in Venezuela?