Hezbollah and Hugo Chavez: Radical Islam's Western Foothold

Abstract

In recent years reports have appeared in government publications and the media alleging that the close relationship between Iran and Venezuela has resulted in the flourishing of radical Islamic groups like Hezbollah within Venezuela. This paper seeks to examine the juncture between Iran, Hezbollah, and Venezuela under Hugo Chavez. Chavez' socialist project underway in Venezuela shares many fundamental ideological principles with revolutionary Iran, most notably in its rejection of the current Western-led geopolitical order. This marriage of convenience has allowed both states to cement their respective positions as leaders of the global anti-American movement and has provided a platform from which Hezbollah and its Iranian patron have extended their global outreach. This paper seeks to examine this mutually-beneficial arrangement, and attempts to explain the risks and threats presented by this scenario for Latin America, Iran, and the United States.