Iran's Influence in the Americas

Through trade, assistance, and bilateral cooperation, the nations of the Americas are more globally connected than ever before. Not just to former colonial powers, but to such faraway places as Afghanistan, China, India, Russia, and Singapore. In 2007, Colombian police were training Afghan counterparts. China's commerce with Latin America and the Caribbean has grown from about $12 billion in 2000 to some $176.8 billion in 2010. India's trade is on track to double from $23 billion in 2010 to $50 billion in 2014. Russia has more extensive commercial and political ties in the hemisphere than it did during the Cold War. And Singapore is now Venezuela's fifth-largest trading partner. Yet, another foreign power has made inroads and is provoking worries that for now are larger than its actual impact. It is the Islamic Republic of Iran. Once a U.S. ally during the reign of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi (1941–1979), and then hostile to the United States following the shah's overthrow in 1979, Iran has sought foreign partners to project an image of global power, expand trade, intertwine its finances more tightly into the international banking system, and forge political alliances. By most measures, it has been only partly successful, managing to have a small amount of influence with a handful of governments. Although that may not present an existential threat to the United States, it could mean trouble for the hemisphere if Iran decided to raise tensions through renewed support for terrorism or development of a nuclear weapon.

Stephen Johnson is a senior fellow and director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, D.C.–based think tank. He has more than 20 years of experience in Western Hemisphere affairs spanning policymaking, policy advocacy, and public affairs in the Department of Defense, the Washington policy community, and the State Department. From 2007 to 2009, Johnson served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Western Hemisphere affairs, overseeing the development and execution of policies, strategies, and programs governing hemispheric defense and security ties. From 1999 to 2006, Johnson served as a senior foreign policy analyst at the Washington-based Heritage Foundation, testifying before Congress and authoring studies on U.S. policy as well as Latin American politics, trade, development, and security.?His commentaries have appeared in the?Wall Street Journal,?Miami Herald, Business Week, and Diario Las Americas.?His broadcast appearances have included CNN en Espanol, Univision, Telemundo, C-SPAN, and MSNBC.